


Timeless Beating of The Heart

by nakamoon



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Bodyswap, Drama & Romance, Inspired by Kimi no Na wa. | Your Name., M/M, Timeline Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-09 22:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18926032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakamoon/pseuds/nakamoon
Summary: Jaehyun is a boy of the mountains, simple, grateful and with dreams of the city. Doyoung is a born and raised Seoulite, with a part-time job, a crush, and a hectic lifestyle.Neither of them have much in common but, as fate plays its game, Jaehyun wakes up one morning in the body of Kim Doyoung, living a life that is not his own, falling a little bit in love, one day at a time.alt: a body-swap au





	Timeless Beating of The Heart

**Author's Note:**

> for all of you dojae enthusiasts, here's a 30k oneshot. for all of you weebs, this is for you too.
> 
> this fic is based on the japanese animated movie _your name/kimi no nawa!_ it follows most major parts of the plot, but of course with certain differences because of characters and settings!
> 
> huge thanks to everyone on twitter who supported and hyped this story up; it's been a long time coming and i'm so proud i was finally able to finish it! huge thanks to the best beta in the world, [sammers](https://twitter.com/winrenclub), for beta-ing this incredibly quick at 1 in the morning and through her tears.

__

¤

Line 2 rattles like it always does, just in between Sicheon and Jamsil Station. Years upon years of riding the Seoul Metropolitan Subway have made him an expert; to such degree, that the high school boy doesn't even try to look up as the subway shakes from side to side, instead, his attention is solely on the mystery novel in his hands.

The train is stuffy and hot, even with the AC on, other people’s limbs are jabbing everywhere into the boy’s back, but it is, after all, an everyday occurrence and he heeds it no mind. He doesn't look up either as a familiar voice, robotic and cold, announces the next stop, one that is not his.

The boy listens as someone calls out his name. He looks up to find a stranger, someone he doesn't recognize; he replies to the stranger politely, telling him that he’s got the wrong person. The boy looks down at his book yet again, too immersed in the words and prose to care much about anything else, much less this stranger.

The subway stops and the crowd of people get out in a hurry, scurrying like little ants under the heat of the Seoul summer.

“Wait!” the stranger yells, making the boy jump in surprise. He’s already outside of the train, in the station, the crowd of people making it impossible to see him clearly. The stranger says his name again and the boy doesn't understand.

But suddenly, an image flashes through his mind. The night where the stars fell.

 

** I. **

Jaehyun’s room has no curtains. During summer and spring, he likes to keep the windows open at night, letting the soft, cool breeze lull him to sleep. Other times, however, he regrets this decision.

Especially at 6 am, just when the sun is starting to come out, bright sunlight pouring into his face and waking him up minutes before his alarm does.

“Nghh,” he mumbles, grabbing the pillow closest to him and using it as shelter for his eyes, “What the hell?”

His bad mood disappears within seconds as he dozes off yet again, light snores filling the small room, both of his legs subconsciously discarding the blue blanket off him.

Even though the sun has started to come out, the sky outside is a twilight mix of pretty purples and oranges, a common sight for the provincial town of Jochigyo, known for its mild weather and dwindling population of two thousand.

Jaehyun enjoys his last few moments of peaceful sleep - at least tries to do so before the horrible sounds of a popular AKMU song ring loudly in his ears.

He groans in confusion at his phone alarm, arm automatically reaching for a bedside drawer that isn't there. He tries the floor, where the infernal noise is coming from, and effectively takes hold of the annoying piece of metal. He turns off the alarm and looks at the hour with a  groggy mind.

**6:10**

“ _What?”_ he complains to no one, eyebrows knitting together in both confusion and annoyance, “Why am I up so early?”

Simultaneously, Jaehyun notices two things.

The first thing is a little banana charm attached to his cell phone. That charm is definitely not his. He looks at the yellow smartphone in front of him with equal determination. That is _not_ his cell phone either. He would never own an iPhone.

The second thing he notices is the sound coming from his mouth. A deep baritone, sweet like honey even when it's been obviously unused for a few hours. That is _not_ his voice. That is not his voice!

That's when the panic starts to set in, frantic, shaking eyes looking around the strange room. The walls are white, the windows wide and open. He lays on a fluffy futon with one single pillow surrounded by at least five different plushies.

He looks down at his hands, the fingers a pink, unfamiliar undertone and bitten nails that he certainly doesn't recognize. “This is a dream,” he says to himself with that deep voice he’s starting to dislike.

He stands up, a little wobbly as he tries to adjust to a sturdier yet shorter body frame, walking to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. As expected, the face that greets him is not his own.

He screeches. A hand goes through his silky hair before poking at a set of pink cheeks. The skin is soft, without blemishes; full lips the color of raspberries part in horror. He’s really, _really_ pretty. “When I said I wanted to be handsome, I didn't it mean it like this. What the fuck.”

Still shaking, he goes back to the futon, plonking himself on it with wide eyes and fuzzy mind.

Everything about him is different, his face, his voice, his hair, his limbs. Hell, even his house! Where is he? _Who_ is he?

He gasps.

He looks down at his lap with dread spreading through him. With trembling hands he pulls at the elastic band around his underwear.

“Oh my god.”

That is not his penis.

He stares at it with intensity, not knowing what to do with a penis that is not his own. “Who are you?”

“Am I even allowed to touch myself?” he asks into the room, cheeks darkening at his own words and at the realization of the situation. Maybe—

The door opens.

“Um,” a young boy with dark hair stares at him in silence. Belatedly, he realizes his hand is still inside his underwear. “What are you doing, Jaehyun?” the unknown boy grumbles, breaking the silence with a twist of the mouth, “Please get ready, we have to go to school.”

The young boy closes the door behind him, seemingly unamused.

“Jaehyun?” he says into the air, looking at the unfamiliar high school uniform that hangs from the closet door.

“But I’m—” he trails off, “...Doyoung.”

¤

“Morning!” Jaehyun says, stretching his arms with a crack. His high school uniform is getting too short for his ever-growing legs. Grandma says he might get as tall as his grandfather once was, Jaehyun hopes so as well.

“Morning, Jaehyunnie,” she says,  handing him a bowl of rice, “There’s hot _samgyetang_ in the pot.”

Jaehyun grins in elation, the wafting aroma of chicken and ginseng filling his nostrils. He pours some of the soup into a smaller bowl, humming along to a tuneless melody. It’s when he plops himself on his usual chair that Jaehyun looks at the small TV in front of them.

_“The Kiting comet will be the first of its kind to fall in over 100 years,”_ the news anchor says as the image of a CGI comet is shown on the screen, “ _It will be seen at its brightest near the mountainous area of the Gangwon Province.”_

“Just in time for the festival,” Jaehyun cheers, “It’ll be so pretty, I bet.” He feels his younger brother’s eyes on him, watching him like a predatory hawk.

“What?” he looks up with a mumble, cheeks full of rice and chicken.

“You’re back to normal today, I think,” Jeno shrugs, going back to his own meal.

“What do you mean back to normal?” Jaehyun twitches his mouth in confusion, taking another spoonful of rice and gobbling it down.

“I don’t know,” the other slurps the last remnants of his soup, “You were acting weird yesterday. You seemed lost. I reckon you’re going crazy already. Must be your age.”

“You’re in middle school, you can’t say that!” Jaehyun grumbles in indignation, “I don’t know what you’re talking about Jeno, you're the crazy one.” He stands up, taking the empty dishes to the sink, “And hurry up, I’m leaving already.”

They leave together in their usual routine, the spring morning dew of the mountains feeling fresh as soon as Jaehyun opens the door. “See you later, Grandma!” he waves goodbye as he and Jeno get on their bicycles.

The road to school is familiar to Jaehyun, he's been riding it for little over a decade now. In a few months, the second year of high school will be over and after that,  his third and final year will be the only thing to stand between Jaehyun and a life in Seoul.

“You're smiling to yourself again,” Jeno muses, bicycle just next to his as they ride in perfect sync. “I guess you're still acting weird after all.”

Jaehyun sticks out his tongue as their bicycles crunch the gravel underneath them, slowing down when they near a deviation road. The road straight ahead leads to Jeno’s secondary school; Jaehyun sometimes misses having to take that path, especially as he looks up the mountainous and far more extenuating path that leads to his own school.

“Good luck, don't space out!” Jeno chuckles, continuing his trek along the clean and easy road.

Jaehyun waves back and pouts, blowing a tuft of hair out of his face before sighing, ready to tire his legs out with the climb before school even begins.

“Jaehyun!” a voice he’d know anywhere calls out in the distance.

He turns around and waves at them, “Try and catch up!” Jaehyun laughs before starting up his bike again, taunting his best friends with a race.

“Not fair!” Taeil wheezes out, pedaling as fast as he can.

Next to Taeil, Yuta bellows, "It's ok, I can catch up to him, Jaehyun's as slow as a turtle!”  
  
Taeil pants as Yuta rides past him, surely reaching Jaehyun in a matter of minutes. Yuta had always been the fastest of the three anyway.  
  
Jaehyun roars in laughter as the fast wind runs against his scalp and face, even making him forget about the ache his legs are starting to feel with all the uphill pedaling. At least his day is starting like this, maybe the trip to school isn't too bad.  
  
"Got ya!" Yuta laughs, his wide smile effectively blinding Jaehyun as it always does. He wonders how his friend always manages to be so bright, even at seven in the morning, on their way to school, no less,  
  
"Yeah, yeah," he waves away, both of them slowing down for Taeil to catch up, "Not surprising."  
  
"I don't like this," Taeil says in short, quick breaths after a few minutes, "You guys always leave me behind."  
  
"Then shape up, Moon!" Yuta gives him a forceful slap on the back, "It's been years and you're still as slow as ever."  
  
"I'll say that right back at you when you come and ask me to help you with your English homework," Taeil frowns at him, all three of them in the same uniform: plain white shirt, gray slacks, and a single green tie.  
  
"You learned how to do your tie again, huh?" Yuta points at Jaehyun's chest as they get off their bikes, slowing down near one of the town's squares.  
  
Jaehyun looks down, confused, "What do you mean?" His tie looks completely normal.  
  
"Yesterday," Taeil mentions, agreeing with Yuta, "You didn't have your tie on and asked me to help you out."  
  
"Eh?" Jaehyun blinks, "I don't remember that."  
  
"Doesn't surprise me," Yuta shrugs, "You were a right mess yesterday, Jaehyun. You didn't even meet us at the crossroad. Taeil said you might be feeling stressed, but you were acting so odd."

Jaehyun thinks back on the day prior and doesn't remember any of what their friends are saying. Before he can voice anything, however, a loud voice echoes through a megaphone.

"The people of Jochigyo need to be ready for the next elections! You need to chose wisely," the man says to a scattered crowd of working men and students, "Voting for Jung Hajoon again guarantees a safe Jochigyo for the next three years."  
  
The crowd murmurs as the man continues talking, Jaehyun groans, lowering his head in embarrassment. "C'mon, let's go," he says to his friends.  
  
"Don’t mind if I do," Taeil whispers behind him.  
  
As they walk towards the school’s entrance, Jaehyun can hear the loud murmurs of the people around them.  
  
"What does he know about the good of the town?" he hears Jiho murmur to the rest of his friends, "He kept spending money on useless stuff during his last term, my dad was talking about it last night."  
  
Minjoo laughs, spotting Jaehyun, her voice too loud to be a coincidence, "Shh, don't let them hear you, Jiho. Jung and Moon are there, wouldn't want them snitching on you to their parents, would you?"  
  
The rest of their little circle of friends laugh. Jaehyun can't even fight them, he doesn't have anything to say. They're right, his father is not a good mayor - heck, he's not even a good dad. He feels his cheeks blaze in shame as Yuta takes hold of his and Taeil's arm.  
  
"Don't listen to them, guys," he huffs out, "They're just bullies."  
  
The entrance to their school comes into view. Jaehyun sighs, "I wish they wouldn't say it to make me feel bad, but it's not like they're lying."  
  
"Yeah," Taeil bites his lip in annoyance, "But don't worry too much, Jaehyun. Secretary Moon is just as bad as Mayor Jung. I'll take some of the heat."  
  
Jaehyun snorts, at least he's got Yuta and Taeil, that's all he really needs.  
  
Classes start like they always do. With Math, then English, and it is just before lunch, during History class, that Jaehyun starts to get heavy-eyed with sleep. He'd pay more attention if his teacher's voice wasn't as soothing as it is, lulling him into a drowsy state. He starts doodling in one of the back pages of his notebook, hoping to not fall dead asleep in the middle of class. He draws little spirals and flowers and cats. He's good at drawing, he admits. The drawing turns into a landscape; tall buildings and skyscrapers that he's only seen in movies and pictures.  
  
He sighs dreamily at the drawing when he runs out of space, turning the page around to continue doodling, but when he does—

**_Who are you?_ **  
  
It's written in giant, frantic letters. Bold and big and glaring. Jaehyun doesn't recognize the handwriting. It's certainly not his, and it doesn't resemble Yuta's chicken scratch or Taeil's cursive print either. But - who else would have access to his notebook? Jeno? No, he never goes through his school stuff, much less write something as cryptic as this. Maybe it's a prank by one of his annoying classmates.  
  
"Jaehyun," the teacher calls out, "Please pay attention."  
  
Jaehyun is startled and looks up, the teacher and the rest of his classmates are looking at him. Embarrassed, he nods. "Y-yes. Sorry, teacher."  
  
"At least you remember your name today," is all she says before turning to the chalkboard. The rest of the class giggles and Jaehyun is more confused than ever.  
  
The rest of the classes go smoother, he tries paying attention lest he humiliates himself once again. He takes notes and answers questions when he is asked and has a normal lunch with Yuta and Taeil. Still, that one question remains at the back of his head for the remainder of the school day: Who are you?  
  
When he gets home, tired and sweaty from the ride back home, the first thing he does, even before changing out of his uniform, is to lock himself in his room, taking the notebook to his desk and grabbing a thick, black marker.  
  
**_What's your name?_ **  
  
He waits for a few seconds, looking at the notebook with intensity. Nothing happens.  
  
It's not like he expected magical handwriting to appear out of nowhere, but it is kind of uneventful. Maybe Jeno's right and he's definitely going crazy.  
  
Jaehyun sighs, turning on the small electric fan he has in his room before changing out of his clothes. "Forget it, Jaehyun, it's probably just a prank."

With one last yawn, he leaves the room and heads for the kitchen, ready to make today's dinner. His grandma is probably visiting the town's temple, as she always does after Jaehyun is done with classes. Jeno is probably still at soccer practice, like every Wednesday afternoon, so Jaehyun is in charge of dinner during days like these.  
  
Or so he thought. Because Jeno's already there, sleeves folded up to his elbows and busying himself with chopping up green onions. "Jeno?" he asks, casting a confused look onto his younger brother, "Aren't you supposed to be at practice?"  
  
Jeno blinks twice before shaking his head, going back to the onions, "See? You're off your rockers, hyung. Today's Thursday, I only have practice on Wednesdays and Mondays."  
  
_What?_ "But today..." he takes his phone out of his pocket. _Today's Wednesday, isn't it?_  
  
Except it's not. His phone, almost taunting him, clearly displays: Thursday 15th. But he remembers yesterday and yesterday was Tuesday. Is there a day that's missing in Jaehyun's life? ... Has he really gone mad? Did he black out for a whole day?  
  
"Oh, god," he mumbles, "Jeno, I'm gonna go lie down. This is crazy."  
  
Jeno throws him a worried glance, "Are you ok?"  
  
"Yes, I'm just sleepy," he says instantly, not wanting to worry his brother even more. For all his teasing, Jaehyun can tell Jeno is actually worried about him. He doesn't want anyone to alarm anyone, especially Jeno, who can be such a worrywart. "I'll just take a nap, I'm sure I'm just stressing over stuff."  
  
"Ok," Jeno doesn't sound convinced but there's not much he can do.  
  
Jaehyun goes back to his room, mind whirring at the weird events of the day. He'd lied to Jeno about wanting to sleep but, now that his body plunks atop his futon, all energy he had in him leaves his body and there's nothing else he wants to do but forget everything; yesterday's strange blackout, his classmates, his dad.  
  
"I just need to get out of here," he sighs, drowsiness getting the better of him, "Maybe if I could just get out of this town." Jaehyun slowly closes his eyes, welcoming sleep.

¤

Jaehyun is freaking out. He could make an endless list on _why_ he's freaking out, but right now, he needs to prioritize.

  1. He is in the body of a stranger named Kim Doyoung.
  2. He's really hungry.



Jaehyun’s predicament started the moment he opened his eyes. He must've rolled around the bed during his sleep - a bed, _not_ a futon - causing him to drop to the floor with an undignified yelp. When he came to his senses, Jaehyun found himself in a strange room, one lined up with posters of bands he doesn’t recognize and clothes strewn all over the floor.

“What - where am I?” he says into the silence. The room is mostly covered in darkness, as opposed to Jaehyun’s own room, the curtains are tightly closed, not letting a sliver of light come through.

“Uh…” his eyes widen, fingers slowly going up to his throat. “This is not - my voice.”

Jaehyun rushes to the mirror. He wishes he hadn't.

The reflection in the mirror is not his own, wide eyes look back at him in terror. Choppy dark hair and a slim complexion that Jaehyun's never seen before in his life. He's... kind of _cute_ , but that's nor here nor there. At all.

“This isn't funny,” is all he says to whoever is out there doing this to him. Whether it be a TV prank or a cruel god. When he listens to himself speak with this strange voice, opening a mouth that is not his, Jaehyun knows he's completely and utterly screwed.

"Ok, don't panic, Jaehyun," he says to himself, pacing around the room, "Or... whoever I am." He needs to pause and think his next course of action. Of course, this is nearly impossible when his stomach is rumbling, begging for food. The last thing he remembers before this was going to sleep, probably missing dinner. Is that why he's hungry? Or is this strange body completely detached to Jung Jaehyun and everything he does?

Is this his new life? Did he reincarnate as a cute city boy? Is this what they call _think twice before wishing on something?_

He has no more time to think it over, for a loud female voice calls out from outside the room, clearly exasperated. "Kim Doyoung, you're already late to school! Get your ass up!"

Jaehyun places his ear on the door, waiting to hear someone else reply. But no one does. Is he... is he perhaps this Doyoung boy?

"Uh," he stutters, leaving the comforts of the solitary room. He realizes he's wearing nothing but boxers, the type Yuta wears, and a ratty old t-shirt with the name of an american band. He walks barefoot along the cold tiles, only guiding himself across the strange apartment through the slight sounds coming from a room to his right.

He walks with caution along the hallway, peeking his head shyly through the door.

"Doyoung," a woman in a business suit crosses her arms in reprimand, "You're going to be so late to class, look at you, you just woke up." She sighs, taking an apple from the fruit bowl in the counter, "I'm going to work now, but please get to school. There's still some eggs and bacon in the pan, but I know you don't like them much, there's cereal in the pantry if you want some." She - Jaehyun guesses this must be Doyoung's mom - grabs a pair of keys before walking his way, smooching his forehead and ruffling his hair, "I'll get going, Dad's making dinner tonight. I'll be home late. Love you."

Jaehyun gives her a small, uncertain smile, "L-love you too." It seems to be enough for the woman, for she only nods and heads through the hallway, the opening and closing of the door heard through empty apartment.

Jaehyun's stomach - or Doyoung's - chooses that moment to growl loudly. He looks around the stove, looking at a pan filled with scrambled eggs and pieces of bacon. He turns his head to the side in curiosity. He's only had this type of breakfast once or twice in his life; Grandmother had always been too traditional when it came to food back at home.

He decides to go with the flow and gets a bowl for himself and a glass of orange juice, enjoying the food before stressing himself all over again.

"Should I go to school?" he asks himself as he munches on a piece of fried bacon. He shakes his head, it seemed like Doyoung's mom really wanted him to go, he can't be irresponsible just because he isn’t in his own body. He allows himself a sigh, one still unfamiliar to his ear, before making his way back to the room he woke up in, turning on the lights and judging just how dirty the place is.

He looks around all the astray clothes, looking for any type of uniform. He finds it inside the closet, Doyoung has at least three uniform outfits, all lined up one after the other. With a purse of the lips, Jaehyun takes one of the shirts and puts it on, wondering how the hell he's going to get to a school he doesn't even know the name of. He doesn't even know where he's at right now.

He makes sure to avert his eyes when it's time to put on his pants, blushing slightly when his hand brushes against his newly obtained penis. "Oh god," he shakes and says to no one in particular, "I'm sorry."

He finds Doyoung's backpack on his desk, one similar to Jaehyun's back at home. At least he's able to easily rummage through his belongings and figure out the name of his school. Jaehyun looks through Doyoung's phone, a new black Samsung model that he has trouble using. It's when he types in the name of the school through the Maps app, that Jaehyun realizes one thing: he's in Seoul. _He's in Seoul._

He grabs his belongings and rushes out the door, following along every direction the map says.  And when he takes a sharp turn to his right, leaving the apartment buildings behind, Jaehyun is speechless.

In front of him, rows upon rows of tall buildings stand in front of him. Colorful billboards and cars and stores. People - _so many_ people everywhere. Not one of them looking at Jaehyun's flabbergasted face, everyone's doing their own thing, walking past him in a flurry Jaehyun has never seen before.

"Woah,” he stands there, trying to look everywhere at once, “This is a pretty vivid dream.” It must've been at least five minutes of just standing there before Jaehyun remembers there's a place he needs to be at, looking down at the intricate map on his phone. This is going to be a challenge. Jaehyun gulps and starts his trek through the streets and subway lines of Seoul.

¤

“And so I said to him,” Ten bellows, loud voice filling the empty classroom they're having lunch in, “I’m sorry Donghyuck, if you're dumb, you're dumb.”

Next to him, a tall boy with full lips laughs, “That's mean, Ten, that's definitely mean. How are you even allowed to tutor middle school kids?”

“The boy had it coming,” Ten shrugs, taking a bite off his sandwich. He says in between munches, “You don’t know him Johnny, that boy is a storm that not even I can handle.”

The conversation goes on but Jaehyun tunes the boys out, instead mindlessly focusing on the melon bread in front of him. He managed to get to school safely, and once he did, Ten and Johnny, the boys in front of him, had instantly demanded Jaehyun eat lunch with them. They must be Doyoung’s best friends, much like Jaehyun had Taeil and Yuta. He had barely uttered a word in their presence but still, Jaehyun was grateful for them, at least he’d now know which classroom to go to.

“Doyoung, are you ok?” Johnny stops listening to Ten’s rambling, “You’re way too quiet. By now you would’ve told Ten to shut up.”

“Hm,” Ten pauses to think, nodding at Johnny’s words, “He’s right. You’re awfully quiet. Are you sick? Did Taeyong finally tell you to scram off?”

_“Ten,”_ Johnny hisses, pinching the other’s arm, he turns to look at Jaehyun again, “And you haven’t told us why you were late either.”

“I—” he stutters, “I slept in by accident. Couldn’t sleep well last night. Sorry, I’m just tired.” He tells them the same lie he used on Jeno the night before. It seems to be enough for the pair as they go back to eating and talking about things Jaehyun doesn’t understand.

It all goes smooth and well, at least until Ten stops his conversation midway, as if realizing something.

“Did you…” Ten widens his eyes, “Doyoung, did you just speak to us in dialect? Boy, you’ve literally never been away from Seoul, what’s this about?”

“Dialect?” Jaehyun feels the blood drain from his face. Of course Doyoung would speak in a normal city accent. He coughs, trying to come up with a lie believable enough. He speaks in the best Seoul accent he can come up with, “Been watching that one drama. The accent must’ve stuck, I guess.” There’s no drama he’s been watching, but Johnny doesn’t ask further and Ten just shrugs with a roll of eyes.

“By the way, Doyoung—” Jaehyun looks up instantly, almost as if saying _yes, I’m Doyoung, I am not Jaehyun._ “Are you still up for the café?”

Jaehyun’s eyes instantly brighten at the word. A café! That's  right… there must be coffee shops and cafés in every corner of the city. Maybe this isn’t so bad, not if he gets a free trip around Seoul. “Café? Yes! Are we going?”

“Oh, don’t tell me your forgot,” Ten pouts, “Today’s the buy two get three promotion, we need you there.”

Jaehyun nods with much enthusiasm, “Yes, do we go after class?”

“We always do,” Johnny eyes him cautiously but says nothing else, finishing his juice box.

After lunch he heads off to room 306, the apparent classroom that he shares with Ten. It also seems Doyoung is a year older than Jaehyun, a third year, because he absolutely does not understand anything of what the teacher is explaining. When their calculus teacher starts calling out names and asking them to go solve some problems in front of the class, Jaehyun starts praying. He doesn't know what kind of student Doyoung is, but Jaehyun is sure to embarrass them both if his name is to be called.

Fortunately, it isn't. Ten’s is and the boy doesn't seem to be very bright, at least not with mathematics. The students giggle at him and, even though Jaehyun's known the boy for less than a few hours, he already feels annoyed at the others on his behalf.

The ride to the café is much easier than his trek to school, mostly because he only follows everywhere Ten and Johnny lead him. During their small talks with the other two, Jaehyun learns little things about Doyoung.

There's the obvious, he’s 18 years old, a third year in high school. He’s a single child, one mom, one dad. He owns a cat named Roose, one Jaehyun didn't see when he was back at the apartment. Doyoung often skips his morning classes, liking to sleep in, but even then, he has the best grades out of the three friends.

Doyoung has known Ten and Johnny since middle school, seemingly an inseparable trio. He works at a pet store and is apparently in love with the manager, a college student named Lee Taeyong.

Jaehyun feels a little bad for knowing all this, it’s almost like he’s intruding into a stranger’s life without his permission. But then again, he’s not stupid, being in Doyoung’s body means Doyoung is probably the one making Jaehyun look a right mess during his “blackouts”. Doyoung is probably in a similar situation, having to pretend knowing what Taeil and Yuta talk about, having to cook for Jeno and Grandmother. If Jaehyun weren't in the same position, maybe he’d even find it funny.

“So this is a lemon cake!” Jaehyun hops in his seat after the waiter leaves their orders on the table. Honestly, he’d wanted to order everything he saw on the menu, but decided to settle on a single piece of lemon cake and a cold chocolate drink. He is spending Doyoung’s money after all, not his.

Johnny and Ten share a look that Jaehyun doesn’t see. “I thought you didn’t like lemon, Doyoung,” Ten voices before taking a piece of his own vanilla tart.

“Oh,” Jaehyun murmurs when he bites down on his first spoonful, “But this doesn’t taste like lemon, it’s sweet.”

“Hm,” Johnny nods, “You’re definitely weird today, but it’s cute.”

Jaehyun feels his cheeks heat up before Ten exclaims, “Doyoung are you… _are you blushing?"_  The other boy takes out his phone, pointing it at Jaehyun - Doyoung. “This is gold. Say cheese!”

“Cheese?” Jaehyun blushes even harder, shyly putting up a peace sign. He can’t say he’s not enjoying himself, the cake is good, Seoul is _so fun,_ and he guesses Ten and Johnny are nice to be around too. He wonders how Doyoung is handling things.

He takes a few more bites of his food, letting Ten and Johnny carry on with their own conversation, happy with just listening in and nodding every once in a while; he also takes some pictures of his cake and around the café with Doyoung’s phone.

It’s been no more than thirty minutes since Jaehyun started eating, happily slurping on his chocolate, when Ten stops what he was enthusiastically saying, turning to look at Jaehyun with furrowed eyebrows. “Don’t you have work at 3?”

“Huh?” he chokes out the drink, “I do?”

Johnny looks at his watch, “Yeah, you’re usually faster eating, but you’ve just sat there and took your sweet time today. Do you not have to go?”

“I - I think I do,” he stammers out, looking at the clock himself. He has 10 minutes before the clock strikes 3pm. He stands up at once, pauses, then sits back down again. “Where do I work again?”

“...Ruby’s Pet Shop?” Johnny tells him, a questioning tilt to his voice. Jaehyun is not good at this. “It’s a block away from here. Do you have amnesia? I think you have amnesia.”

“Right! Don’t worry, Johnny, I’m just pranking you,” he says, already grieving the fact that he’s leaving the café so soon. Why does Doyoung have so much stuff to do anyway? Jaehyun’s getting mentally tired already. He wonders how long his shift lasts. At least he doesn’t have to go home and make dinner. Does Doyoung even know how to cook?

He says his goodbyes to a still sceptical looking Johnny and Ten, but Jaehyun tries assuring them with a thumbs up and a lazy wave. He doesn't know Doyoung very well, but that seems like a Doyoung thing to do.

As soon as Jaehyun exits the café, he takes out his smartphone. It seems the Maps App is his new best friend.

¤

“Doyoung, can you go clean up the iguanas’ poop?” the intercom says in a bored voice.

There's no customers in the store. Jaehyun has been working for two whole hours and there's been no actual customer, save for the occasional little kid barging in to take a peek at the puppies and bunnies.

It's a slow job. He wonders if that's the reason Doyoung picked it. That, or maybe the other boy loves animals. For some reason, Jaehyun doesn't think that's the case.

Jaemin, the youngest employee whom Jaehyun guesses is around Jeno’s age, snorts, cleaning out one of the snake boxes. “Don't you hate the reptile section, hyung?”

Jaehyun hums in response, not really knowing what to say.

“Baekhyun really has it out for you,” he snickers, “Everyone knows the iguanas hate you.”

Jaehyun silently gulps, taking a glance at the back of the store, where the reptiles are. He doesn't particularly fear them, in fact, Yuta used to own a few newts back when they were in middle school and they all seemed to enjoy Jaehyun’s petting. However, one thing is petting them a few times on the head, another thing is taking care of them as an actual job. It's also completely different being Doyoung than Jaehyun. What if the iguana hates Doyoung so much  he bites his finger off?

“C’mon, Doyoung, I’ll help you,” a short boy says as he walks past Jaehyun and Jaemin.

Jaehyun looks at the boy’s back in curiosity,  “Taeyong?” he whispers to Jaemin.

The ginger laughs in a  low tone, “Your love is offering his help, are you pissing your pants, Doyoung?”

Right! Lee Taeyong, Doyoung’s crush, college student, apparently cool guy. “Yes,” he nods, checking his breath on the palm of his hand.

He rushes towards the back of the room, where Taeyong is already putting the giant fat iguana in a smaller crystal box.

"Thank you, Taeyong," Jaehyun says with honesty, following along whatever the older boy does. He's kind of winging the whole job, seeing as he has no idea what exactly his duties are or how to do them, but it seems Doyoung only does whatever his managers tell him to do anyway.

Taeyong gives him a grin, his giant eyes sparkle in a way Jaehyun has never seen before. He's spent less than a minute with Taeyong and Jaehyun already understands why Doyoung has a crush on the other boy. He's good-looking for certain, and he seems nice enough to help Doyoung out with iguana poop.

"It's fine, don't worry," Taeyong shrugs in good-nature, passing him a wet rag so they can start cleaning from the inside of the cage, "I don't know why Baekhyun keeps putting you in charge of the reptiles, he _knows_ what happened last time with Creamy and your nose."

"Yeah," Jaehyun nods as if he knows what Taeyong's talking about. He's intrigued enough but won't risk his cover and ask about it. "I'm ok now, I can handle it," he huffs out his chest in pride, showing Taeyong that Doyoung is more than capable of taking care of an iguana.

"I don't think Creamy likes you very much though," Taeyong raises and amused eyebrow, looking back at the crystal box where the green iguana is staring at Jaehyun with beady eyes. "He gets so nervous with you around."

Jaehyun purses his lips, staring at Creamy in indignation. He stops cleaning for a moment, walking over to the small box and kneeling down in front of the overgrown animal. He's not an expert and he's never touched an iguana before, but he's never had problems with any animal back in Jochigyo, where they're abundant and free.

"Hey Creamy," he tries, wiggling his fingers inside the box, "It's me, Doyoung."

Creamy stares back with no reaction, looking at Jaehyun like he just wants to nap and be alone. When the animal doesn't attack, Jaehyun takes it as his cue to pet the iguana's head softly. "See? I knew you were a nice boy," Jaehyun smiles down at him, the iguana seemingly complacent with the petting.

"Huh," Taeyong walks up behind them, "That's... surprising. You're good with him, Doyoung. Did you start suddenly reading up on lizards?"

"Maybe I did," Jaehyun replies cheekily, making Taeyong grin back at him.

They go back to the bigger cages, where Jaehyun picks up a small shovel. He looks at it in detail before scooping up the poop. "Jaemin said poop jobs are the worst, but this is isn't that bad, to be honest. What's the big deal?"

"That's what I say!" Taeyong nods earnestly, "It's not bad at all, that's why I don't mind doing it."

"Maybe we should pick up poop more often together," Jaehyun says seriously. Taeyong stares at him for a second before laughing again.

"How come I've never noticed you're this funny?" Taeyong smiles at him for a second too long, "You're right, maybe we should work together more often, Doyoung."

Jaehyun deems his interaction with Taeyong a success. He's such a good samaritan, getting this Doyoung boy a new boyfriend.

When it's time to clock out for the day, just as Jaemin asks if he wants to take the subway with him, Taeyong calls for him. "Doyoung!"

Jaehyun turns around in surprise, "Yes?"

"Uh," for a moment Taeyong seems bashful, scratching his neck and looking away from him, "I've just realized I don't have your phone number. Which is weird because we work together, right? So... what's your number?"

He can hear Jaemin let out a snicker from behind him, obvious to the interaction between the older boys. Jaehyun lets out an internal _woop_ before nodding, giving Taeyong one if his brightest grins. He doesn't know how Doyoung looks doing it, but Taeil always says Jaehyun looks best smiling, it must apply to Doyoung as well.

When he's on his way back, the sky completely dark and starry, Jaehyun realizes he's just a little more used to the city than he was just a mere day before.

The mountains and landscape of the countryside are beautiful, he'll always admit that, but, looking at the nightlife of Seoul, he realizes that the shining lights and tall buildings that never sleep, also have a beautiful charm that is starting to own Jaehyun’s heart.

¤

Doyoung wakes up in a bed. In a room with dark curtains that let no light pass through.

"Oh, sweet god," he exhales, hand going to his heart in a calming motion. He takes one of his pillows and hugs it tightly to his chest.

He sits up, mind groggy with sleep but awake enough to enjoy waking up in his own bed.

"Doyoung!" he hears his mom call out from the kitchen, "Are you awake?"

"Yes!" he shouts back, standing up, stretching his arms and back. Then, in almost a whisper, he says to himself, "Was it all a dream?"

He shakes his head, he'll have time to think about that later, right now, he needs to have breakfast. For some reason, he's really craving _samgyetang_. He lets out a sigh, grabbing his beloved Samsung phone and unlocking it, looking for any new notifications. What he finds as soon as his phone turns on, however, makes him almost pass out. It's a message on his notes app.

 

_Hey, Kim Doyoung~ updates for you!_

_I was really late to school yesterday, sorry about that, lol. Luckily I didn't have any problems because Ten and Johnny found me during lunch, they're really nice! They also took me to a café. I've never been to a café before so you might've looked plenty dumb as you ordered lemon cake. But it was really good, I took pictures of it with your phone! [image] It was a bit expensive so sorry for wasting your money but I think I also deserve it for all the trouble yesterday._

_And good news, I got you Lee Taeyong's phone number! You like him, right? You should have it in your address book now under_ **_tyongie ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ_ ** _. He's really cute, I’m glad I got to play matchmaker for you._

_I hope you didn't embarrass me too much back at home but hopefully you had some fun._

 

What the hell?

Doyoung looks down at the palm of his hand, black ink scribbles on it.

**_My name's Jung Jaehyun._ **

 

**II.**

 

"Jaehyun," Taeil looks at the other boy's sketch notebook, trying to hide his grimace in an almost comical way, "Your drawings... they look different."

Doyoung looks at the badly drawn cat on his notebook. It's an attempt to draw his orange tabby, Roose. "Does it look that bad?" He already knows his drawing sucks, he just wants to see Taeil politely squirm.

"You're usually better, yes."

Doyoung laughs, adding caricature whiskers to the drawing. "I can't be Picasso everyday, Taeil. Today this is what the world gets."

They're in art class, a Tuesday morning just before lunch. Doyoung had woken up that day a little confused, yes, like almost everyday he wakes up in Jaehyun's room. But they've been doing this for nearly a week now. They don't know when or how it happens, but Doyoung has concluded two things. He switches bodies with a boy from a small mountain town, Jung Jaehyun; it always happens when they sleep.

There's no schedule, it's not like Doyoung knows he will switch on Monday and Wednesdays, although it happens almost every one or two days. He feels like he should be scared or maybe tell someone else, but so far, Jaehyun and him have gotten all under control, as much as a pair of high schoolers can do anyway.

"Are you going to the mayor's speech today?" Doyoung hears a girl with a brown bob say to her friend. They're not sitting anywhere near Doyoung, but he can still hear them, they're too loud for his liking.

"No, for what? I know my parents aren't voting for him this time around," her friend snorts out and they both giggle. Doyoung doesn't miss the way Taeil tenses next to him.

The girl continues, "Well, Miyu, maybe you ought to go, you know the mayor has a family to feed too." It's not funny, it's really not, so Doyoung doesn't understand why the two girls laugh like it's the most hilarious thing in the world.

"Taeil," he mumbles, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, "They're talking about me, aren't they?"

Taeil lets out a sigh but doesn't try to deny it, "Yes."

"Hm," Doyoung crosses his arms in irritation. By now he knows Jaehyun isn't very physically intimidating, even if he does have an athletic built to him, his face and features are too soft. Even now, as he's frowning at the pair of meddlesome girls, he probably looks more like a miffed puppy than anything. It doesn't matter, Jaehyun's not here, Doyoung is. And Doyoung won't let a couple of annoying girls mess with him - or Jaehyun, in this case. "Hey," he calls out to them loudly, making more than a few heads turn, "Why don't you mind your business? Is your life that boring that you have to involve others to entertain yourself?"

The girls blush, dignified after a few other students snicker at the exchange. Doyoung goes back to his drawing of Roose, content with the silence that follows. Next to Doyoung, Taeil only stares at him in mild disbelief before letting out an airy laugh, "Jung Jaehyun, is that really you?"

It's not, it's Doyoung, and maybe he's what these brats that keep annoying Jaehyun need.

¤

_i put that one girl in your art class in her place! who does she think she is?! if i had been in my own body i would've gone in even worse. it's fine now, she stopped talking smack after that. taeil thought it was awesome._

_yuta asked me to play soccer with him during lunch. i don't know if you can tell by being in my body, but i hardly do any sports. saved you the embarrassment and told him i was feeling sick._

_grandmother made dinner today so i also saved everyone from my awful food. one of these days my luck's gonna run out and it'll be my turn to cook._

 

"Oh, god," Jaehyun reads the notes, grimacing, "Doyoung's gonna make the whole school my enemy by the time the semester ends."

He looks down at the pajamas he's wearing, a simple tank top and a pair of boxers he doesn't recognize. "Ugh," he covers himself with the blanket even when no one's there to see him.

And when he looks in the mirror he sees a bunch of scribbles and phrases on his face and arms, all in black marker.

**_Hi, I’m Jaehyun and  I’m a loser_ **

**_Doyoung >>>  Jaehyun_ **

**_Jaehyun eats ass -_ **

"Kim Doyoung!" he growls, scrubbing away at the ink on his cheek.

¤

"See, now you're back to being..." Johnny pauses, trying to think of a good word for Doyoung.

"Not cute?" Ten helps him out, "Back to his annoying self?"

"Yes, I would say that." Johnny agrees.

Doyoung ought to feel insulted, but at least he's glad his friends know him well enough to know he hasn't been himself in some particular days.

"I'm always cute," he says instead, munching on a piece of muffin from the cafeteria.

"Nope," Ten replies. They're lazily having lunch in one of the school's gardens, all three of them sprawled on the grass. Doyoung tries to relish the moment, he doesn't know when he'll go back to the mountains. It's not bad, he actually really likes Yuta and Taeil, if anything, he's glad Jaehyun's friends with them and not anyone else in their classroom.

"I guess we'll differ then," Doyoung sniffs.

"Oh," Ten raises an eyebrow, "But I do know someone who thinks you're cute. How are things with Taeyong? Have you kissed him already?"

Doyoung's cheeks redden. He hasn't really had a lot of time to socialize with Taeyong, they see each other often during work, but they're always in different jobs. He still gets too shy around him as well, stuttering and saying stupid things around him all the time. All the progress that he's made with Taeyong is thanks to Jaehyun and whatever gay magic he knows how to do.

"It's going well," is all he says, "But no, I'm not kissing him anytime soon, don't be ridiculous, Ten."

Ten raises his arms in mock-surrender, "Just asking, don't worry."

"S'fine," he yawns, his hair getting a bit long for his taste, "By the way, are going to the café after school?"

"We went there yesterday, Doyoung?" Johnny snorts, "You've been wanting to go there so much lately. And you always eat so much."

He grumbles, "Yeah, my wallet is starting to feel it too." The thing is, Doyoung himself hasn't gone to the café in weeks, it's always Jaehyun and his awful sweet tooth for cakes and candy. He supposes it's fine for now, at least Doyoung's been enjoying Grandma Jung's traditional food as well, he doesn’t have that often back at his own home.

The boys separate when it’s time to go back to class, Johnny going on his own to his classroom on the other side of the building, Ten and Doyoung whining together all the way back to their classroom.

Ten is mid-sentence, babbling on about something or the other, when Doyoung is stopped by a soft voice.

“D-Doyoung…” a short girl is quickly by his side, tugging at her uniform skirt.

Ten stops talking, looking at the girl with interest and a raised eyebrow. She continues, clearing her throat, and looking awfully pinker by the second. She looks to be an underclassman, with pigtails and painted nails. He doesn't recognize her, which makes her use of his name stranger. "Doyoung, can I speak to you for a second?"

"Uh," he meets eye with Ten, who shrugs and waves him away. "Sure."

"See ya in class, Dongs," he walks away, amused eyes and ready to burst out laughing. "Don't be late."

Doyoung grimaces and looks back at the girl. Really, he's not rude, but who the hell is she?

When Ten is out of earshot, the girl opens her mouth, only to close it right back. This happens a few times before Doyoung, growing exasperated and more confused by the second, says, "Um. Yes?"

The girl squirms before letting out a sigh, pushing a small red box into his arms. "T-take this. I remember you told me you like cherry flavored lollipops."

Doyoung doesn't like cherries. He takes the box nonetheless, looking down at it, red paper sticking to his fingers. "Thanks." It sounds more like a question than a thank you.

"I like you!" she lets out, looking a few seconds away from passing out. She explains, "You're so nice and sweet. I... I should've noticed you sooner, Doyoung." When she looks up, her eyes are wide and, to Doyoung's perturbation, _hopeful._ Jesus Christ, is this what he looks like to Taeyong? He hopes not.

He says again, "Thank you." There's a silence and Doyoung's drowning in second-hand embarrassment. Maybe he'd feel a little more compassionate if he actually knew who this girl was. He scratches the back of his neck, "Uh, but... who are you?"

Maybe he should watch his words more carefully next time, for the girl, who he later finds out is named Eunbin, breaks into tears, running away from him before he has the chance to open his terrible mouth yet again. He'd totally run after her and maybe apologize, at least, but she leaves in a flurry and Doyoung, well, he really needs to get to class.

He ends up giving the box of lollipops to Johnny.

 

_a FEW rules, jung jaehyun!!!_

_can you please not speak in dialect? johnny and ten keep asking me to do it, they’re gonna know something’s up! NO DIALECT. and please stop spending all my money!! especially in cakes! i wanna buy a new phone soon and you keep eating like a glutton....what if I get fat because of you..._

_and most importantly, don't seduce girls??? first of all, it's awkward that they like me only when i’m you (that's a weird sentence). second of all, NO. GIRLS. If you really want a girlfriend you can do it in your own body!_

_follow these rules and MAYBE you can eat cake once a week >:( _

¤

Jaehyun pats the three kittens on the head before pouring milk into their bowl. Kittens and puppies are his favorite to take care of at the store, that's mostly because they're cute and seem to like him the most, even if they've peed on his shoes more than enough times he can count. He's fine with reptiles, as opposed to Doyoung, as well as the fish and insects and everything in between. Really, why does Doyoung complain so much about Jaehyun spending his money on cafés when Jaehyun is pulling his own weight (and probably better than Doyoung too).

Still, as much as he likes animals, Jaehyun's glad his shift is over. Even _more glad_ that Baekhyun ended his shift over an hour ago and isn't there to give Jaehyun extra tasks. Really, he wonders if Doyoung ever did anything to annoy Baekhyun, the guy really has it out for him - or them, seeing as Jaehyun ends up with half of the burden as well.

There's only two other employees taking the night shift beside him. One of them is Sicheng, a cute chinese boy that's too good at handling their obnoxious birds. Jaehyun has attempted friendly conversation with him, but to no avail; at first, when the other boy shook his head no matter what Jaehyun said to him, he thought Sicheng just wasn't good at Korean. That went down the drain when Jaehyun accidentally heard him have a fluent and rather excited conversation with Jaemin. Doyoung really needs to work on his friendship bonds with his co-workers.

He doesn't even try to stop Sicheng when the other waves at him goodbye and swiftly leaves him to close up the pet shop. The other employee, the one stuck having to close the shop with him, is, of course, Lee Taeyong.

He's stricken up a very good friendship with the other boy. He knows he's basically just helping Doyoung out in trying to get him a boyfriend, but it's always fun talking to Taeyong, who's friendly and bubbly and very nice.

"Tough luck, huh?" Taeyong says when Sicheng leaves them with no regard. "We're the ones stuck closing the shop."

He raises an eyebrow, "You always work the night shift, anyway, hyung." They walk to their small lockers, where Jaehyun keeps Doyoung's backpack. "At least I'm keeping you company today."

Taeyong smiles, cheeks full and showing off his perfect teeth, "Well, I guess I'm not so unlucky today then."

Jaehyun's pretty sure Doyoung would blush at this, but it's not like he can will himself to physically do it. He settles with a smile and a friendly hand on Taeyong's shoulder, "C'mon, let's the take the subway together."

When they leave the shop, the night is fully settled. It's close to midnight and he truly feels bad for Doyoung, who has morning classes the next day. At least when Jaehyun wakes up, he'll back in his own body feeling refreshed and not like he just worked up the night shift the day before.

They take the same line and stay in relatively comfortable silence, at least until Taeyong breaks it when they've sat down, no one else nearby. "Doyoung," he says, looking at the empty seats in front of them, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

The question takes him a little by surprise, turning his head in question, "I don't."

Taeyong shakes his head, "You seem like the type to have a boyfriend. I don't know, you're very kind, I wonder why I've never noticed before."

His eyebrows knit down together in a pensive frown. This is what Eunbi supposedly told Doyoung the other day as well. Jaehyun doesn't understand them, _sure_ , Doyoung's plenty annoying, but he's a nice person! A good catch! Taeyong should've looked at him sooner, he thinks with the tiniest bit of resentment.

“So you're not dating anyone. It’s weird, anyone would want to date you.”

With a grimace, he supposes Taeyong is talking about Jaehyun, not Doyoung. He doesn't know how to answer as Doyoung, so he simply says what he would've if he'd been asked as Jaehyun. "I've never found the right person, I guess."

"Oh? Your soulmate?" Taeyong asks softly, curious.

Jaehyun shakes his head, "Not necessarily just... someone who's going to love me for me."

Taeyong hums in response, small smile on him. He nods as his stop nears. Taeyong stands up, putting on a beanie on top of his blond hair. "Well, I hope it doesn't sound mean, but I'm glad you don't have a boyfriend. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the skating rink with me and maybe grab a bite on Sunday."

Jaehyun stares at him for a brief second, blinking, before he breaks into a grin, giving him a thumbs up, "I'd love to! That would be great."

Doyoung would be ecstatic, wouldn't he? God, he better let Jaehyun buy all the cakes and drinks his heart desires.

"Ok, I'll text you the time then,” Taeyong looks at him giddily, just as his stop arrives.

When the other gets off the subway, Jaehyun smiles softly, hoping everything will turn out fine for Kim Doyoung.

¤

_I feel sorry for you Doyoung, you have A LOT of math homework for next week, please do it as soon as you get back in your body, unless you want me to do it and fail._

_One of the cats pooped on me today, I’m glad it wasn’t you though, you would’ve probably kicked him or something right >:(? but Baekhyun left early so today was a good day at work and guess what….. _

_I come with good news! Guess who just got you a date with Taeyong!!! that’s right, me, you sucker!_ _\\(^ヮ^)/ Jaehyun: 1 Doyoung: 0_

_Not gonna lie, i’m a little jealous :(( basically I did all the work and now you get to go on a fun date with him. I’m watching you, please be nice to him, he looks so excited. and don’t ruin it :/_

_I guess I’m ok with your date because on sunday our town has the crater festival. That's the day we'll see the comet, maybe you'll see it with Taeyong too. honestly, i’m scared for you… you seem like the type to have zero romantic bones in your body! so don’t blow it...  good luck!!!_

¤

Jaehyun looks at his co-worker with slitted eyes, a challenge in his gaze. Sicheng looks back at him, a little bit confused but altogether undeterred. "What?" he says in accented Korean.

Jaehyun doesn't tear his eyes away from him, "I know you don't really have an accent, Sicheng. In fact, I know you speak perfectly good Korean."

Sicheng stays quiet for a minute, not surprised, almost as if he doesn't really matter what Jaehyun - Doyoung - thinks. Eventually, he shrugs, in clear Korean, "Yeah. What about it?"

Jaehyun moves a small, wrapped rectangle across the smooth surface of the counter, towards Sicheng. A Hershey's bar. "I'm going to be your friend. I promise you, Dong Sicheng."

Sicheng looks down at the bar with disinterest, "I don't like chocolate."

"Who doesn't like chocolate!" he exclaims, waving the chocolate bar in front of the other's face, "C'mon, smell it! It's good!"

Sicheng swats the chocolate away, frowning. "I'll take the chocolate if you tell me why you're pestering me today."

"I _told_ you, I want to be your friend!" he says again, pushing the candy onto the other boy's arms.

"Why?"

Because he feels like Doyoung and Sicheng would get along really well. Another good deed from Jaehyun to Doyoung. "Because we work together, we should be close."

"Not really," Sicheng murmurs, but eyes the chocolate bar nonetheless. "Why are you so friendly out of a sudden? We've worked together for half a year already."

"Six months?!" he lets out without thinking before sobering up, "I mean... yeah. That's because I'm silly and unfriendly. You know me. But it's time to change that! So let's be friends, Sicheng."

Sicheng eyes him for a ten whole seconds before letting out a puff of air, "Maybe," he doesn't elaborate after taking the chocolate bar and walking away, probably to check up on the parrots or whatever it is Sicheng even does at the store.

Still, Jaehyun feels accomplished! Maybe he ought to start going to the gym too, buff up Doyoung or something.

"Did you just... give Sicheng a chocolate bar?" Jaemin comes up to him, looking at him with curiosity, "That's a new one. Who would've thought."

"Thought what?"

"I don't you know, you seem friendlier." Jaemin shrugs before going back to work, "It's not bad or good. It's just weird."

Jaehyun pauses, biting his lip, unsure and thinking about Jaemin's words. "Jaemin, but..." he trails off before speaking up again, "You like me either way right? Even when I'm not as friendly?”

Jaemin looks back, eyebrows furrowed. It's a weird question, Jaehyun realizes a little too late. Jaemin, however, replies, "Yeah, of course, Doyoung. You're my friend no matter what."

Jaehyun feels his shoulders relax and smiles a little. He likes Doyoung just the way he is and he wants everyone to like him for him too.

¤

"No way," Yuta bellows, taking the way paper from Doyoung's hands, "There's just no way you actually got a 97 in your exam, Jung Jaehyun." He looks at the paper with disbelief in his eyes, then back at Doyoung, "Did you cheat?"

He takes the paper back from Yuta's hands, "No, of course I didn't cheat. I'm just smart."

"Yeah right," Yuta snorts, "And Taeil will suddenly be the best soccer player among us."

"You don't have to drag me into this!" Taeil cries, trying to take a peek at the paper in Doyoung's hands. When he looks at the big, giant _97_ written at the very top, he whistles, "Ok, how did you do it, Jaehyun?"

"There was no trick!" Doyoung feels affronted. Not only is he particularly good at geometry, but Jaehyun is a whole year behind him. He happened to know the exam material like the back of his hand. Although, judging by Taeil's and Yuta's reactions, maybe he should've gotten a few extra questions wrong. It seems Jaehyun isn't the brightest apple on the tree.

"Well, color me impressed," Yuta nods, "I guess we have a new geometry tutor."

They walk along the winded dirt road from school at a slow pace, taking their usual bicycles with them.

"Hey," Yuta continues, beam spreading across his face. Doyoung now knows Yuta well enough to know nothing good is coming out of his mouth. "While Jaehyun is officially the smartest of the group... I bet I can still beat him in a race."

Uh-oh. Of course, Yuta can beat Jaehyun. Because Jaehyun is Doyoung and Doyoung absolutely sucks at moving his body at anything more than a slug's pace.

Taeil, however, doesn't know this. "Of course he can beat you Yuta, last time you took him off guard. Right Jae?"

"Uh," Doyoung shakes his head but can't even get a word out before Yuta woops and gets on his bike, leaving them behind.

"Last one pays the snacks!" he yells to both Taeil's and Doyoung's dismay.

He's pretty much doomed at riding anything remotely akin to Jaehyun, but he guesses he still has a chance at beating Taeil.

He gets on the bike, a little wobbly at first, but as the breeze collides against his face and the adrenaline pumps through his veins - laughing along Yuta and Taeil, in a small mountain town in the middle of nowhere, Doyoung feels just a little bit more alive.

¤

_today you had a surprise exam… needless to say, i nailed it. you’re very welcome jaehyun. you’re probably the smartest kid in class now thanks to me. you might even graduate with that tiny brain of yours, who knows?_

_update: no one has come and talked shit about you anymore so I’m guessing they’ve stopped. You better tell me if it continues!!! you’re welcome for that as well._

_today we rode to yuta’s house and played this weird board game… honestly, I didn’t think board games were a thing people did but I guess the countryside has to make do when there’s no malls or cinemas around. seriously, jaehyun, what do you do for fun around here? I still had a fun time...yuta and taeil are pretty dope, maybe we should switch friends because all johnny and ten do is make fun of me. It was fine, although taeil and I did end up paying for yuta’s snacks._

_um… i tried making breakfast for jeno and your grandma today… not very successful… i’m trying my best ok?_

_and by the way, don’t think i’m not gonna get you for those awful words you wrote with PERMANENT MARKER on my face. i had to scrub my face clean for fifteen minutes and i was late for class.  i’m gonna get my revenge!!! WAIT AND SEE!!_

_that’s it for today, hope you didn’t ruin my life while i was gone._

¤

"Jaehyun," Jeno enters the door, voice whiny the way it always gets whenever he wants his older brother's help.

Jaehyun looks up from his magazine, mumbling a grumpy, "What?"

Jeno leans against the door, "Help me bake grandma's birthday cake."

Jaehyun's eyebrows knit together, obviously vexed, "We said you were gonna make it, I already bought her gift, this is _your_ job."

Jeno walks up to him, the ever so familiar puppy eyes already on the works. "Jeno," he warns, "Don't."

" _Jaeee_ ," Jeno, in fact, gives him the puppy eyes. "You know I can't bake as good as you, please help me." He sprawls across Jaehyun's bed, latching onto him with a tight grip. "I just want grandma to have the best cake ever. You're the best baker ever."

Jaehyun looks at his little brother with a purse of the lips, already knowing what answer he's going to give him. It's funny, really, how just a few days ago Jaemin had used those same puppy eyes to get Jaehyun to clean the goldfish tank for him. Jung Jaehyun seems to have a weak spot. "Ok," he sighs, making Jeno break into a grin, "Only so you don't end up poisoning grandma. C'mon, move it, we need to get it done before she gets back home from the temple."

Jeno stands up in salute, running back to the kitchen as Jaehyun puts on his slippers. He doesn't really mind, baking a cake for the person who raised him is no problem at all.

When he enters the kitchen, Jeno already has all the ingredients out, TV on in the background, and apron ready for him.

"You can do the icing while I work on the batter," he replies, then pauses for a second, "Do we have lemons, Jeno?"

Jeno blinks, "Yes, why?"

"We can try doing lemon cake," he hums, "It's really good, I'm sure she'll like it."

"When have you ever tasted lemon cake? Where?" Jeno asks as he takes out a handful of lemons, handing them to Jaehyun. The other shrugs, taking the citruses from him, "Somewhere. Don't remember. I'll just look up the recipe online."

Jeno gets to work on the icing, something he should be capable of doing alone, just as Jaehyun works on the lemon zest.

They work together in sync for a few minutes, comfortable silence between them. Jaehyun listens as the reporter on TV talks, yet again, about the Kiting comet. Everyone's excited for it, it'll be seen across half of Korea, a little ball of sparkles all across the sky, magical and luminescent. For them however, it'll be even better, for the comet is scheduled to be seen the day of the Jochigyo festival. Jaehyun wonders if comets work the same way wishing stars do, if he can look at the sky and make a wish on it.

"How does a comet even look like?" Jeno interrupts his thoughts, "Won't it just look like a giant rock?"

"Hm," Jaehyun hums, thoughtful, "I reckon it'll be pretty either way. A pretty rock."

Jeno laughs, taking a whiff at his vanilla creation. He stops, looking at Jaehyun for a moment. "I'd thought you were refusing to cook."

"What do you mean?"

The younger shrugs, "You asked me to make dinner when it was your turn that one time, remember? And then the other day you made us eat soggy cereal."

_Doyoung._ Jaehyun internally groans, He knows the other boy is a lost case when it comes to cooking, but he could've at least made some _eggs._ Jaehyun has a reputation to maintain. "Just been busy," he says instead.

He feels a little regretful. To him, changing bodies with Doyoung has been mostly fun. Yes, he's still struggling with stuff like classes and sometimes work and well, _having to keep up a lie,_ but he can't say it hasn't been fun living in Seoul and experiencing the city life for a little bit. And he can't even tell Jeno about it! "Say Jeno," he twists his lips in apprehension, "Sorry for not being too present these past few weeks. Just have a lot in my mind lately."

Jeno's whisking pauses before the younger boy looks at him with scrunched up eyebrows and a small, confused smile. "I haven't felt that way. You've been helping me out a lot with my homework lately. And that day I forced you to take me and Renjun to the riverbank and you actually did..." his brother looks away, but the words are clear as he says them, "Thank you."

Jaehyun is a little flabbergasted. Helping Jeno out… taking him to the riverbank. That must've all been Doyoung. He didn't write anything about that on their phone notes. He just likes being annoying, but Jaehyun supposes Doyoung is a really good person. No, he _knows_ Doyoung is a good person, he's been living his life, after all.

“I’ll take you to Seoul soon, alright?” Jaehyun says.

“Really?” Jeno’s eyes shine in child-like manner.

"I promise," he says instead, shaking his head, "Ok, now let’s pour the batter and leave it in the oven. And _no telling grandma about this until tomorrow, ok?"_

Jeno rolls his eyes, "I know, Jaehyun, I'm not dumb."

"Now, we both know that's a lie, Jung Jeno," Jaehyun mocks, earning a punch on the arm as he laughs, the warmth of spring filling the kitchen.

¤

Doyoung wakes up and instead of blue walls, light sunlight enters through the window.

Ok, so he's Jaehyun today.

He yawns and stretches, the whole prospect of switching bodies all too common by now. He stands up and goes straight to the mirror. He's kind of getting used to this face now. Doyoung stares at himself, brown eyes warm under the light reflection, hair askew in a way that would never look good on Doyoung the way it looks on Jaehyun. It's a weird sensation, he's the one inside the body, but, looking at Jaehyun's reflection, it almost feels like Jaehyun is the one staring back at him. He thinks one of these days he'd like to meet Jaehyun for real.

"I wonder if he'll get mad if I fondle his abs," Doyoung wonders out loud, "No. I shouldn't."

"But then _again_ it's nothing I haven't seen before, right? He is me and I am him," he snickers in evil laughter, lifting up his shirt and ogling at the perfectly formed muscles in Jaehyun's abdomen. "Wow, they're so nice."

"Jaehyun..." Jeno says from behind him, making Doyoung turn around in surprise, "Are you caressing your own abs?"

"No," he is quick to put his shirt back down. "Uh, are we late or what? Let me put on my uniform real quick."

"Huh?" Jeno frowns, "There’s no school today, Jae."

Oh. The routine has made his head dizzy, he wonders how he'll end up when all of this is over. _If_ it's even over, seeing they still haven't figured out how to stop what's happening to their bodies. "Right. So what are we doing?"

"Picnic at the mountains," Jeno exclaims, "Geez, what's up with your head today? Earth to Jaehyun, today's Grandma's birthday so get ready!" he closes the door, leaving Doyoung to dress up.

He vaguely recalls Jaehyun mentioning Grandma Jung's birthday coming up, but neither of them realized it'd be Doyoung the one to celebrate it with her. He runs a hand through his hair, hoping to the stars he doesn't fuck up this day.

When he leaves the room to meet up with Jeno, he finds the younger boy and Grandma Jung ready to go. Jeno is carrying a giant picnic basket, and their grandma is wearing a nice sundress and a flower on her hair. "Happy birthday, Grandma!" he smiles, rushing over to hug her the way Jaehyun probably would, warm and genuine.

"Thank you, my boy," she hugs him back, "Jeno told me you baked a lemon cake.”

"Y-yes!" Thank god it had actually been _Jaehyun_ to bake it.

"Can't wait to try it, you're both really good cooks, just like your mom," she smiles, ushering them out of the house. “Come, we need to reach the peak before midday if we want to catch the White-Eyes, they fly away once the sun gets too hot.”

They start the trek going uphill, the opposite way Doyoung usually takes to Jaehyun’s school. He's never been on that side, where the town seems to end and the expand of green trees starts. As he doesn't know exactly where they're going, he lets Jeno take the lead, opting to stay behind with Grandma Jung.

"It's so nice out here," he says and absolutely means it. He's lived his whole life in Seoul and, sure, he's been to a few places like Jeju Island or Anmyeon-eup, when his parents take him out during summer vacation, but he's never been in such a place like Jochigyo.

It's so solitaire, in a good way. Doyoung is used to the noise of people and cars and smog and a never-ending hassle. Here, it is the opposite. Here, there's silence, beauty everywhere he looks, full of greens and space and light.

With every step he takes, when his shoe crunches on the leaves and dirt, Doyoung feels a sort of peace he’s never felt before. It engulfs him with a buzzing feeling of pure happiness.

He follows Jeno mindlessly, not really knowing nor caring where he's taking them, only paying attention to the blowing wind and the greenery that surrounds the vast expanse, a few scattered mountains in the near distance.

Maybe, when this is all over, Doyoung will come and visit Jaehyun and they can visit this place. Doyoung thinks he'd very much like that. The thought comes to him like an unexpected whirlpool, but it's there nonetheless. He would like to meet Jaehyun in person, in his own skin, and maybe see the mountain landscape as the wind blows the hair out of their faces.

"Jaehyun," Jeno calls out to him, a few meters in front of him, just at the edge of a small hill. "Over here."

Doyoung takes Grandma Jung's arm and helps her with the slight slope, careful that neither of them slip and fall.

And when they get there, just next to Jeno, Doyoung is even more taken aback. In front of them, green grass expands into the horizon, the sky a light blue, bigger than Doyoung has ever seen it. They're at the edge of a crater, a beautiful one, where emerald grass grows and small peonies decorate in detail.

"Wow," Doyoung says in a whisper, slowly walking as the ground tilts.

"You've seen this before, why are you like this?" Jeno snorts, picnic box still in his arms. "Grandma's favorite place in the whole wide world."

"You're right, Jeno," she smiles, looking around with joyful eyes at the landscape. She seems as enamored as Doyoung does, except, she's probably seen this place a hundred times before. Doyoung would like to think he'd be the same.

Jeno places an old blanket, just in the middle of floor, plonking himself down with their basket filled with drinks and lemon cake. Doyoung kneels down before offering a hand to the elderly woman. He likes this place, but he can't help but feel a pang of guilt; Jaehyun should be here, with his brother and grandmother, enjoying the cake he worked so hard for.

“Oh, Jaehyun,” he says in a low voice as Jeno starts telling a story with much enthusiasm, not sparing Doyoung any attention. “You’re the one who should be here.”

And then Grandma Jung turns to look at him, worry in her eyes, “Jaehyun?”

Doyoung blacks out. The last thing he sees is the wind blowing across the crater’s peonies.

¤

Doyoung wakes up in his own body, mind whirring and heart beating loudly against his ears. He wipes at his cheeks, drying away at the tears flowing from his eyes. Why was he crying? Did he have a bad dream?

He stands up, looking around his room. And why is he here? Wasn’t he supposed to be back in Jochigyo? He runs a hand across his face, tired. He looks at his phone. 6 am. Huh, he supposes having to constantly wake up an hour earlier to match Jaehyun's schedule has gotten to him.

Since it's fairly early, Doyoung can go back to sleep, maybe go have breakfast since his stomach is sure to start grumbling soon enough. Still, the first thing he does is check his phone for any notes Jaehyun might've left behind.

It's short, but Doyoung does find one.

 

_hey doyoung :) good luck on your date, remember it's on sunday_

_i’ve been thinking of maybe dropping by to seoul on saturday. i don't know if it's a good idea but maybe we need to see each other to solve this problem. i guess i kind of want to see you too, i’m not gonna lie_

_well i’m still not sure if i will go, so don't wait for me or anything, knucklehead._

_anyways, remember to look at the comet on sunday night, it'll be like watching the stars together :)_

 

Doyoung laughs at the words and finds his own face heating up. But… Jaehyun wants to _meet_ him in person. Today, Saturday. Doyoung feels as a tight knot in his stomach forms deep inside him, it’s not bad, he doesn’t think it is, but it’s so sudden and his cheeks are flaming up and is he really seeing Jaehyun today?

The doofus didn’t mention where or when, there’s no certainty he’ll even come, but Doyoung already feels his heart faint with nerves and slight exhilaration.

He takes a look at himself in the mirror, starting to feel self-conscious which is maybe the most stupid thing Doyoung could do, it's not like Jaehyun hadn't been him, he'd seen every part of Doyoung and his life.

"It's too early for this," he mumbles, lightly slapping himself in admonition, shaking his head, "Get your shit together, Doyoung. Go back to sleep and think this through after that."

And he does. At least, he tries to do so. Goes back to bed and closes his eyes but for the life of him, Doyoung just can't go to sleep. His mind keeps replaying his picnic at the crater, his life as Jaehyun, Jaehyun wanting to meet him. Everything's a mess and Doyoung's poor brain can't make sense of what to do.

So he turns around on his own bed for hours on end, there's no school today anyways, there's nothing to do but wait for Jaehyun - if he ever comes, that is. He doesn't know if the boy will actually take a train trip to Seoul out of nowhere, but if he does, Doyoung better stay at home, it's the most reasonable place to wait for him after all.

But breakfast comes and goes, and lunch comes and goes and dinner comes and goes and Jaehyun never knocks on his door. Doyoung grows increasingly disappointed and feels a little naive. Of course Jaehyun wouldn't come in such short notice, he was just mindlessly scribbling when he wrote the note. Even with all the logic behind it, Doyoung can't help the disappointment in his chest.

He gets a text that night, he feels a little hopeful, thinking it might be Jaehyun before realizing that he never gets texts from Jaehyun. Because they never exchanged phone numbers. There was no need to back then, all their diary entries and notes piled away in the security of their own phones, only for the other to read in private.

The text, however, is from Taeyong.

_i'll meet you at the entrance of the roller skating rink, yes :)? 5pm_

At least Taeyong has the decency to tell him a place and time of their meeting, Doyoung frowns. He sends Taeyong a simple yes and an emoji. He'd almost forgotten about his date tomorrow. That's right, he has one and he needs to be happy about it.

He throws his phone back on the bed, sighing, looking out the window and wondering why he's feeling the way he is.

¤

“Jaehyun!” Yuta waves him over from a distance, “We’re here!” Jaehyun turns around before spotting Yuta and Taeil sitting in a nearby bench. He runs over to them, smile perched on his face.

"Hey," he says, motioning for Taeil to scoot over, "Sorry I'm late."

Taeil seems happy, however, "It's fine, we're just glad to see you for once. Where were you yesterday? We passed by your house yesterday to see if you wanted to hang out but Jeno said you had gone somewhere else."

"Where could _somewhere else_ possibly be in this town," Yuta yawns, "There's literally nowhere."

The other boy steals a cookie from Taeil's plate, munching on it, "Don't worry about it, just some errands," he shrugs, "Saw your text though, so now I'm here."

"Yeah, you better," Taeil takes the last cookie when he sees Yuta eyeing it, "Yuta's dad is putting up a tteokbokki stand for the festival, we need to help him set it up."

" _You_ can help him set it up," Yuta crosses his arms, "I already helped him carry everything all the way to the town square, my arms are killing me."

"So much for being the athletic one I guess," Taeil rolls his eyes, clearly relishing on Yuta's squeak of indignation.

Jaehyun laughs as his friends argue with each other, looking at the town square in front of him. People from all over town gather around the place, putting up stands of food and games, decorating it with lights and colorful papers that will sure look beautiful once the sun starts setting, when the Crater Festival of the town of Jochigyo starts. It's one of the biggest festivities of the year, something he and Jeno had always looked forward to when little, and even then, years later, it was still something he enjoyed.

But this festival was special, for the first time in centuries, the Kiting Comet would be seen from the skies, and out of all the places in the world, the people of Jochigyo would be the closest to witness the beautiful spectacle.

Jaehyun feels a pang of regret, thinking that maybe it'd be something Kim Doyoung would want to see.

"Jaehyun," Yuta sings, "Earth to Jaehyun!"

He looks over, his friends already standing up, urging him to do the same, "C'mon, let's set up the stand and stuff ourselves with tteokbokki."

Jaehyun nods back, enthusiastic. Today is the day of the Crater Festival and no bad mood is going to bring him down.

¤

"No," Doyoung tries to scramble away from Taeyong's evil grip, "Taeyong, no, I'm going to die."

"You'll be fine," Taeyong laughs, holding onto Doyoung's arms and taking him along to the rink.

"I said," he cries as his roller skates touch the slippery floor, feeling an imminent fall that hasn't arrived solely because Taeyong manages to hold him, "I don't know how to skate!"

"What do you mean?" Taeyong easily slides himself across the edge of the rink, looking effortless and cool and the opposite of whatever awkward flailing dance Doyoung is doing. "You said you love to skate! I remember."

Definitely not him, Doyoung thinks with knitted eyebrows. It must've been Jaehyun, of course he'd be good at skating. Doyoung, on the other hand, would rather choke on all the cakes Jaehyun's bought with his money than look a fool skating in front of Taeyong.

Taeyong, however, just looks on amused, laughing at the boy in front of him. "Ah, I see. You only said it to impress me, can't fault you there."

"Don't laugh," Doyoung mumbles, finding somewhat of a balance as he grabs the railing with one hand.

"It's fine, I can teach you," the other shrugs, taking ahold of one of Doyoung's hands. Doyoung would have blushed if not for the fact that he's entirely too scared to do anything except try not to fall to his death.

"Are you sure this is safe?" he asks just as a little girl skates past them as easily as Taeyong is.

Taeyong only laughs, tightening his grip on Doyoung, "That little girl seems to be doing fine, I reckon."

"Now you're just making fun of me."

"Just a little bit."

Even if his heart is about to rip out of his ribcage - and not in a cute, loving way - Doyoung does feel safe around Taeyong. He's liked the other boy ever since he started working at the pet shop, how could he not? Taeyong is cute and really nice. He'd never gathered the courage to speak to him though, at least no more than a few words here and there whenever their shifts aligned.

Doyoung must have a good judge of character, at least. Taeyong is funny and nice and patient as he teaches Doyoung how to roll around in some shoes of death. And when they're done with their lessons and Doyoung ends up with ragged breath and a sweaty forehead - not how he imagined his date to go - Taeyong goes and orders them food and drinks, kind till the very end.

"I guess," Doyoung says as he chews on his food, mouth full of cheesy potatoes, “The lessons were worth it if it means we get to eat these fries."

The blond boy laughs with crinkly eyes, taking one of the fries for himself and nodding, "Only reason why I come here to be honest."

Doyoung laughs, honest and bright, the way he doesn't do with just anyone. He has a turmoil of emotions inside him as he looks at Taeyong sip his soda.

He's grateful to Jaehyun for getting him this date, for even having the courage to do what Doyoung never could but - at the same time, he curses him for making things so much complicated for Doyoung and his frazzled heart.

¤

The laughter of children and adults alike fill most of the town square, where all the stands have people lined up, ready to eat and have some fun.

Jaehyun and Taeil have been helping Yuta's dad for a while now, serving the hot tteokbokki to a long line of people. Yuta pretends he's doing one thing or another, but Jaehyun's pretty sure he's just wasting time and looking around the rest of the stands with bright eyes and a child-like smile. He's also pretty sure Taeil knows this as well, but they let him do it, they don't mind if the other is having careless fun for once.

Jaehyun's in the middle of selling the snacks to a pair of elderly men, when Yuta comes running towards them, "Taeil," he yells, "Jaehyun. C'mon, let's go to Byeolsan's peak! Apparently that's the hill where the comet will be seen the best, if we hurry we'll get a good place before anyone else!"

Jaehyun turns to look at Yuta's dad who only snorts at his son's enthusiasm before glancing at Jaehyun and Taeil, "Well, go on, boys, I'll sell the last few of the night before heading your way. Go and get a good place."

Taeil smiles gratefully at the man, Jaehyun bows before leaving his apron on a chair, and both boys bolt after Yuta, feet running against the dirt paths they've known since childhood.

"You know, this comet hasn't been seen since 1894," Yuta manages to say even as the cold wind hits their faces and their breath becomes ragged. Taeil looks like he's about to pass out next to him, trying to keep up.

"We know, Yuta," Jaehyun runs beside him, "It's not like it's all the town has talked about this week."

"Do you think," Taeil wheezes, "We can make a wish?"

Jaehyun thinks back to a few days ago, he'd wondered that too. He has a few wishes he wants to make, maybe a comet will grant them more than one, maybe a comet is better than a wishing star, especially one so close to them.

"I think so," Jaehyun says with a nod, "Of course we can, Taeil."

As they near the uphill, they see a few more people already there, waiting for the spectacle. Most people will wait in the town square, where the food and lights are, but Jaehyun is glad they ran all the way here, even without any comet in sight, the starry sky looks beautiful. Bare and dark and magnificent.

"Taeil," Yuta asks as they slow down, he looks at their friend with curiosity and a light smile, "What are you wishing for?"

"I don't know," Taeil looks away, pursed lips, "What are _you_ wishing for?"

"Mm," he seems to think, "To marry the most beautiful person in the world!"

Taeil snorts, “Well, good luck with that. Not even the comet will grant you that!"

_"Hey!_ " Yuta cries out, surging forward to pinch Taeil’s side.

Jaehyun's dimples deepen, slowly dissolving into warm laughter. He's there with his two best friends in the entire world and maybe, it's not so bad.

And when the comet appears in the sky, burning, bright, beautiful and close, _close_ , **close** , Jaehyun doesn't regret a single thing.

¤

"I think," Taeyong says as he balances himself from the edge of the sidewalk, very much like a child. He's not looking at Doyoung, who walks beside him in a slow pace. "That you don't like me the way I thought you did."

Doyoung looks up, eyes wide, confused at Taeyong's words, "What?" is all he can say.

Taeyong snorts, his eyes reflecting the light from the lampposts above as the river beside them flows in unhurried and steady movements. "I thought you liked me. Way back before we even started talking. But you never approached me so I let it pass. It wasn't until you gave me your number that I thought of the idea of us together."

Doyoung doesn't say anything, he's right, though, maybe Doyoung hadn't been as inconspicuous  as he thought he was.

He continues, "And I like you enough, Doyoung, you're really fun. But I guess I misjudged the situation. Sorry."

"Why -Why are you saying that?" Doyoung asks, throat dry, voice shaky.

"I don't know," Taeyong shrugs, "It's a vibe, I guess. I'm cool with it, let's be friends, Doyoungie."

Doyoung stays silent for a brief moment, trying to make sense of Taeyong's words. He's not upset, that's the thing, he feels a little relief that Taeyong is putting what he's feeling into cohesive words. "I did like you, you know."

"Oh?" Taeyong hums.

"Yes," he says, "I liked you a lot, you weren't wrong. I was just too shy to actually talk to you. But—"

" _But,"_ Taeyong laughs, "You like someone else? Is that it?"

Doyoung's face reddens. "I don't know. If I like them, I mean. I'm sorry."

"For what? Don't be, I'm glad you're being honest. We still had fun, didn't we? And we can still have fun, like I said, let's be good friends."

And when they part ways, with Taeyong taking a cab and Doyoung walking back home, he smiles. Yes, he'd like to be friends with Taeyong.

He has a sudden urge to call Jaehyun, to tell him all about his date, to tell him what Taeyong said, to ask him if they can please meet because Doyoung is a mess of confusing feelings and he just wants to know why.

But he can't call him and he can't message him. And so, all Doyoung can do is wait a few more days until they switch bodies again.

But the next day passes. Then the next, and the next. Day after day passes and Doyoung stays in his own body.

He stops switching bodies with Jaehyun.

 

**III.**

Doyoung’s days are filled with uncertainty. He goes to classes, aces his exams without much trying; he goes to work, earns his pay. He hangs out with Johnny and Ten after school and on weekends sometimes. Strikes up a great friendship with Taeyong and, surprisingly, Dong Sicheng.

Everything, in retrospect, is going well in Doyoung’s life.  

However, there’s a certain gloominess hanging over him, his parents ask him about it, Ten asks him about it, even Taeyong does too. He shouldn’t be feeling this way, he knows this is how things are supposed to be, Doyoung living his life, Jaehyun living his. Still, is it too much to ask for to know how the other is doing?

He left things so abruptly back in Jaehyun’s life - will Jaehyun really be alright without him? What if those pesky little students start gossiping about him again? Will he do alright in his exams? What about Grandma Jung, Jeno, Taeil and Yuta? How are they doing?

It sounds stupid, he knows, Jaehyun was managing just fine without Doyoung meddling in his life. Look at Doyoung, he's doing ok without Jaehyun. More or less.

There's other thoughts too, some Doyoung is a little more embarrassed of admitting: does Jaehyun miss switching bodies? Does he miss going to the café and eating cake to his heart's content? Does he - does he miss Doyoung? Maybe just a little bit? Maybe just the way Doyoung is missing him?

"Doyoung," Ten hisses at him. They're in chemistry class working in sets of two, Doyoung is not being of much help to Ten, not when he’s spacing out, thinking about Jaehyun’s impending math exams. "Are you feeling sick? We can just tell the teacher you're not feeling ok and maybe she'll let me take you to the nurse's office."

"I'm ok," Doyoung shakes his head, frowning, "You just don't want to do the worksheet."

"That's true," Ten shrugs, "But you've been acting so weird lately. Seriously, is everything ok? You can always tell me, you know?"

Doyoung turns to Ten, looking at the genuine concern in his friend's eyes. Doyoung's shoulders sag, "I'm sorry, I just have... a lot in my mind, I guess. I promise is nothing serious. I'll do something about it."

Ten looks back at him, a pregnant pause in between them, before looking away and nodding, "Ok, I believe you. But if you need help, I'm here."

Doyoung's grateful for Ten. For a brief moment he wonders if he ought to tell him about Jaehyun, about how he randomly started switching bodies with a random boy from a random town in the middle of nowhere. He wonders if Ten would believe him or if he would just call his mother without hesitation  so they could all lock Doyoung in a mental institute. He doesn't think Ten would actually do that but you could never be too careful.

They finish their chemistry worksheet and Ten doesn't bring it up again.

Days go on, Doyoung tries to actively forget everything, to focus on his own life. He studies hard, works even harder, loses himself in the distraction both provide. But no matter what he does, every time he visits the café with Ten and Johnny, he thinks back to the pictures in his phone, to notes Jaehyun wrote him, to the black ink on his skin every time he switched back to his body, stupid little insults thrown at him, written in his arms and face.

He thinks back on what he said to Ten, _I'll do something about it._

What does he mean? Is forgetting about Jaehyun the best choice? What if... what if Doyoung really is going crazy and Jaehyun never existed in the first place. No, that's not it. He _knows_ there's no way that Doyoung could've imagined all that, imagined someone like Jaehyun so vividly for such a long period of time.

He sighs, "What am I doing, Creamy?" Doyoung looks down at the old iguana, who looks back at him with impassive eyes. Doyoung laughs, petting the animal lightly before placing a small bowl of leaves and fruits in front of it. "You know what? I think Yuta would like you very much—"

He pauses abruptly. Yuta. Yes, he remembers Yuta, Jaehyun's best friend, a bright cheerful guy, a little loud, always moving around no matter where they were. Doyoung remembers these facts, remembers his name but - he can't remember his face. He can't remember Taeil's face either.

Doyoung panics... what is happening? Why did he forget? He leaves the eating iguana behind, going back to the locker rooms, slight panic etched on his features. He thinks back on Jaehyun's best friends, Doyoung still has light memories of them, of riding their bikes in the morning, of having classes together, of Yuta forcing them to play soccer with him. But why does it feel like these memories are fuzzy, slowly fading away just like the memory of their faces is?

And - what was the name of their school? What was the name of those annoying classmates - Jaehee? Jaeho? What... _what was the name of Jaehyun's town?_

No. He's forgetting everything. He's going to forget Jeno's face too, won't he? He'll forget Jaehyun's face. Doyoung can't allow that, _won't allow that._ He's panicking, he should've done something about it before this happened - now Doyoung doesn't even know the name of the mountain town. Gangwon province. He takes his phone out as fast as he can, fumbling with it as he writes the province down. It's all he remembers, his only clue. He goes back to Jaehyun's notes too, see if there's anything he can find in there that'll help him.

There's only one thing - _the crater festival._ Surely not every town in Gangwon will have a crater festival, right? Doyoung can start from there. He needs to find Jaehyun.

"Doyoung..." a familiar voice breaks the silence. "Are you ok? You just barged in out of nowhere." Taeyong says, a rag on his hand and worry in his eyes.

"Taeyong," Doyoung pleads, "Will you cover for me this weekend, please?

¤

Doyoung has never traveled by train alone. Sure, he's done it plenty of times with his parents before and really, it shouldn't be _too_ different from riding the subway. But he still finds himself nervously tapping his fingers in jittery motion, looking up at the arrival and departure screens because, not only is this the first time riding a train alone, but he doesn’t even know where he should go.

The line going through Gangwon should be it, but other than that, Doyoung is completely lost. According to the timeline, he has around twenty minutes to board the train, enough time to buy himself a chocolate bar and calm himself.

It’s when he comes out of the store and takes the first bite of his candy, that Doyoung hears a voice that sends chills down his spine.

“Hey,” Dong Sicheng says with a nod.

“Sicheng?” Doyoung chokes on his piece of chocolate, “What are you doing here?”

The other boy shrugs, taking more steps into Doyoung’s vicinity, a backpack on his shoulders, “Taeyong asked me to see what was up with you. He’s really worried, you know? Thinks you’re doing drugs or something.”

Doyoung groans, he didn’t exactly tell Taeyong what he was doing and he supposes he should’ve come up with a good excuse instead of looking like a frantic loony.  “You didn't have to, Sicheng.”

“Yeah, probably not,” he gives and ever-suffering sigh, crossing his arms,  “But I’m already here, so tell me, what’s really up? Are you doing drugs?”

He stays silent for a few seconds, squirming under Sicheng’s pointed stare. “Uh. I don’t exactly know.”

“So you _are_ doing drugs.”

“I promise I’m not!” he exclaims, then sighs, stealing a glance at his friend before pouting. “I’m gonna visit a friend. But I don’t exactly know where he lives.”

“Well, that sounds stupid… can’t you call him?”

Doyoung hums, unsure of what to exactly tell Sicheng. They’ve been spending an awful time together lately, but he still doesn’t know the boy well enough to tell him anything that might make question his sanity.

“...He’s an internet friend. I never asked the name of his town and now he won’t reply to my messages. I’m scared something might’ve happened to him.” It’s enough honesty to get him by.

Sicheng raises an eyebrow. “You're online dating?”

“No!” he tries to keep the flush away, “We're only friends!”

There's a beat of silence before Sicheng _tsks,_ pulling Doyoung with him. “Are you telling the truth? You know I can’t lie to Taeyong, he’s going to get us both if he finds out you’re lying.”

Doyoung pulls away, “I swear I’m not lying Sicheng. It’s not a big deal, I promise.”

Sicheng stays silent for a few seconds, his intense sight making Doyoung squirm. Finally, he speaks up, “Don’t do anything stupid, ok?” He lets go of Doyoung’s arm. “Call me if you need anything? I’d go with you but there aren’t any more tickets for any train leaving soon.”

Doyoung blinks twice at how… _nice_ Sicheng is being. He gives him a genuine smile, one of the gummy ones his mom says are cute. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Sicheng pauses, “Really. Don’t mention it, Doyoung.”

 

When he’s sitting in the train, face squished against the crystal window, Doyoung does feel a little bit safer knowing he has people looking out for him. Now he has to be the one looking out for Jaehyun.

The first stop he makes is at a small convenience store just outside the outskirts of the first village in the Gwangon border. He stops for food and water and asks the cashier if he knows of any town that celebrates any crater festival.

“Um,” the man scratches his head, seemingly thinking too hard. “Not around here, no.” He gives Doyoung his change before replying, “You might want to try a little up north. Near the mountains.”

He thinks the man is right, Doyoung vaguely recalls a mountain, fresh air. Not much, but enough to decide to head north.

He decides to take a bus, the driver says it should take less than an hour to get to a small cluster of towns, where sometimes tourists stop by and explore.

Doyoung sighs, he doesn't know what he's doing. At all. He’s never done anything as stupid as this before, this is something new and, to be honest, it's a little scary to city boy Doyoung. But he needs to find Jaehyun, even if it's just for him to tell Doyoung to stop any sort of contact with him.

He just needs answers. And, more than that, he's scared of forgetting Jaehyun.

“Yeah, sounds like a town from up north alright,” a woman replies to him as soon as Doyoung relays his description of the town to her; mountains all surrounding the town, a town square, houses just below the mountain borders. “But to be honest, kid, every little town around here looks the same. You mentioned a festival?”

“Yes,” he nods, “A festival during the summer. Soon.”

The woman pauses to think, but before she can even shake her head, Doyoung already knows she can't help him.

“Sorry boy,” she sighs. “I don't know of any festival any time soon. You can always ask around, I’m sure the town you're looking for is near.”

Doyoung gives his thanks and leaves, he asks a few more people in that same town, but to no avail. He's starting to think he might've gone crazy, that it was all up in his head, or maybe just a long summer dream. It’d make sense, there's no way someone as perfect as Jaehyun actually exists -

“Ugh,” Doyoung fake-gags. “Did I really just think that? He's not perfect. He farts a lot, for one. He’s _bad_ at math.” He shakes his head, “And he doesn't stand up for himself.”

Doyoung sighs, he’s really going crazy now. Talking to himself about a boy that may or may not have existed.

He stands up. He may be crazy, but at least he’s not giving up, at least not now.

Doyoung travels to the next town, then the next. And for some reason, no one seems to know anything. The fear in his heart is growing. He just wants a clue, _anything_ might lead him to Jaehyun.

It’s in the afternoon, just a few hours before the sun sets, that he receives a text message from Sicheng. It’s too tempting to leave him on read, to not even open his message. But Doyoung feels like he owns him something.

_did u find ur bf?_

Doyoung frowns and sends a simple _not yet,_ along with an emoji. Sicheng’s reply is too quick.

_if u don’t find him by today, come back._

He doesn’t want to reply, too annoyed at the fact it might be true. He may not find him today, he may not find him at all. Doyoung bites his lip and hits send.

_Ok._

He goes into the current town’s only diner, a small but clean place that serves traditional food all day long. He realizes he hasn’t had anything to eat but that one convenience store ramen a few hours ago, his stomach is grumbling. He ends up ordering a bowl of hot samgyetang, Doyoung has been craving it for the past few weeks.

“Thank you,” he smiles weakly at the waitress, an old lady who seems to be the only one working at the place right now. He blows the steam off his soup, slurping it lightly.

The taste stops him in his tracks; the ginger, the chicken in the soup, the rice. All the flavors mix inside Doyoung’s mouth and, for a moment, he’s back in the small kitchen. Back with a little boy, Jaehyun’s brother, and his grandma, eating hot samgyetang with rice on a breezy summer day. When he gulps the soup down, he remembers.

_Jochigyo_.

That’s the name of the town. Jochigyo!

Relief washes over him and Doyoung wants to thank his brain for not the first time in his lifetime.

“Excuse me, ma’m,” he calls out to the old lady who’s now gone back to the tending the cash register. He stands up and walks her way. “Is the town of Jochigyo anywhere near here?” he pauses, then adds frantically, “It does exist, doesn’t it??”

“Jochigyo?” the lady repeats and for a moment Doyoung thinks he got the name wrong or that the lady has no idea what he’s talking about. But then she nods, slowly. “It’s half an hour away from here. Near the sea mountains. The second question is harder to answer, boy.”

Doyoung’s hopeful expression becomes puzzled. “What do you mean?”

He notices how careful she’s being with her words, “Part of it is there, so I guess it still exists. But… don’t you know that’s the town that was hit by a comet two years ago? No one lives there anymore after the accident, it’s a ghost town. Are you doing research or something?”

“Yes,” is all Doyoung can reply. His throat is dry and he cannot believe his ears. He can’t. No. “Is there a bus that can take me there?” He surprises himself with how sturdy his voice manages to be, with how composed he appears.

He listens intently to the woman’s directions, half of his mind trying to remember where he’s supposed to go, the other whirring past a thousand emotions at once. It becomes too much for him, he thinks Doyoung’s brain decides to shut off, at least until he processes it. It’s the only explanation on why he feels so numb after a few seconds.

Even as he pays for his ticket, even as he rides the bus on his way there. He refuses to feel anything until he can confirm what happened to that town. He refuses to believe anything until he sees it.

When a driver gives him the exact directions to go, he still has a small hope within him, even if it’s slowly dwindling down. But as he gets nearer and nearer into what is supposed to be Jochigyo, Doyoung’s worries grow.

As he walks a dusty, desolate, abandoned road that’s supposed to take him to the border of town, Doyoung is still holding back his tears. He recognizes this air, this weather. This time he feels it against his own skin, not Jaehyun’s. This is Jochigyo, no doubt about it.

He also recognizes this road, he only took it once, only a few _weeks_ ago. He remembers a picnic, a pretty landscape, a crater and a mountain.

Suddenly, Doyoung feels the urge to run there, to see that landscape once again and maybe, by the work of a miracle, see the town that he little by little fell in love with. So he runs, he runs uphill even though his legs ache and he breaks into a sweat much too quickly. He climbs the road and across the wilting grass and flowers. Maybe if he gets there quick enough he can stop whatever it is that happened there.

But when he gets there, at the top of the crater, he’s two years too late.

Doyoung looks on at the destroyed town from up above. Really, there’s hardly anything that resembles that quaint little town he once knew not too long ago. He can see a few scattered buildings, most of them destroyed, abandoned by the survivors. Doyoung’s a little glad he can’t see Jaehyun’s school form here, he’s sure the sight would devastate him even more.

It’s not fair, it really isn’t, he thinks of Yuta and Taeil and the rest of his classmates, of his teachers. Who knows where they even are now? Did they make it? Are the ok? Doyoung feels his throat close up again and the warm tears flow through his eyes, running down his cheeks as he lets out a shattering sob, falling to his knees.

“Please,” he says to no one, “Just one more day. Just give me one more day.” _I just want to see his face one more day._

Doyoung feels stupid, infinitely stupid, he was out there living his life, ignorant that Jaehyun, his friends, his _home,_ was no more.

He touches the warm grass, feels the slowly disappearing sunlight against his skin. The air of the mountains is fresh and sweet, very cold, and Doyoung realizes that nothing, not even Jaehyun’s death, not even the bursting of Doyoung’s heart, means something to nature, ever-constant, ever-present.

The tears never cease, and Doyoung, with eyes rimmed with red and an ache thrumming throughout his body, feels himself heavy with tiredness, the weight of a world that once was, now on his shoulders.

When he closes his eyes, Doyoung sees white, hot glaring white and then - _the sound of Seoul._

¤

Jaehyun has been walking around for _hours_.

He's in his school shoes, of course he is, because he's dumb and didn't think things through. He's also in his uniform, which is kind of getting sticky with sweat but that's far less annoying that the blisters he's probably getting right in this very moment.

He sits down in one of the station's benches, at least he can rest, there's no rush, really. He eyes as a group of laughing girls walk past him, mini electric fans in their hands, looking refreshed and unlike Jaehyun, not miserable at all. Jaehyun wishes he could buy one of those fans but he didn't bring a lot of money, just enough for his return ticket and a few food expenses (a cake and an ice tea sound too tempting right now).

He blows hair out of his sweaty forehead before sighing, slumping in his seat with a semi-pout. Who knew Seoul would be this big? Or more specifically, who knew Jaehyun would forget Doyoung's address? It's not like he ever needed it! He just sort of learned his way back and forth from home and school and work.

He kind of knows the subway lines, but for some reason, they're a bit different now from what he remembers, a few colors and names have been changed, which prompted Jaehyun to get completely lost amongst the many stations and stops. This is _not_ how he planned his visit to go. All he wanted to do was see Doyoung and now he's lost and sweaty in the middle of Samseong Station.

He sighs again but isn't deterred. Jaehyun knows that it'll be worth it, that when he meets Doyoung for the first time, they'll see each other and _know_. Because what he's feeling right now, what has been slowly growing inside, is something special, Jaehyun knows this.

"Alright," Jaehyun stands up, dusting himself off and clapping his hands once. He looks at the subway map again and decides that line 2 is probably his safest bet, it's somewhat familiar, it's the line he takes when he has work at the pet shop right after school.

He squeezes his way inside the train, and even with the AC on, the inside is almost suffocating, especially with such growing crowd in this summer heat.

"This is bad, I miss my bicycle," he laments to himself in a murmur. There are no more seats so he takes ahold of the train handle and prays for the best. It's not a nice setting, but he thinks he could still get used to such a city like Seoul. In the future, maybe.

Maybe when he gets a job here, when he gets new friends here, although Jaehyun would like to think he could befriend Taeyong and Ten and Johnny - all on his own, just himself, no Doyoung.

It’s in-between sweet musings and hopeful thinking, that Jaehyun’s eyes, slowly but surely, find a familiar silhouette, so familiar, indeed, because at one point in life, it has been his. Doyoung.

He sees his high school uniform, his rising chest in slow movements, his hands holding onto a small book, Doyoung oblivious to his surroundings and Jaehyun can't help the short laugh that escapes him.

He also notes with curiosity the other boy’s hair, it’s left undyed, his cheeks are chubbier, his legs shorter. However, undoubtedly, this is Doyoung, Jaehyun would recognize him anywhere.

And his heart thrums, his heart buzzes. A lot of things flash before his eyes but all Jaehyun can do is -

“Doyoung,” he says, timid smile on his face but his voice is heard by the other boy.

Doyoung looks up from his book, short bangs covering his eyes in a way Jaehyun finds cute. He continues, “Hi.”

Doyoung doesn't say anything, face blank. “It’s me, Jaehyun. I… came to see you.” He trails off and with each passing second of Doyoung’s blank stare, Jaehyun feels his heart constrict just little bit more.

Finally, Doyoung opens his mouth and Jaehyun’s world shatters. “I’m sorry, I don't think I know you. You must've gotten the wrong person.”

He returns to his book, not sparing Jaehyun a single glance after that.

Jaehyun's grip on the subway handle tightens, feeling foolish, his face flushing hot with embarrassment, mouth agape because how could Doyoung -

He doesn’t know what’s going on, doesn’t know why Doyoung doesn’t remember him, doesn’t know if he’s pretending to not know him, but Jaehyun can’t stay in this train anymore. When the next stop arrives, he makes a beeline for the exit, squeezing himself in-between people, eyes stinging with unshed tears because Jaehyun _won't_ cry.

He steps on the station's platform, people rushing by past him, Doyoung still back inside. Jaehyun feels tired. What is he supposed to do now? Go back to Jochigyo, he supposes. But after that? Is he meant to just ignore whatever happened here? To pretend he never came here looking for Doyoung?

It still doesn't make sense - Jaehyun knows there's something wrong about this all.

He looks back at the train one last time and when he does, his eyes meet Doyoung's. Doyoung, who is already looking back at him with confusion lingering in his gaze, as if enthralled by Jaehyun's existence. And that's all Jaehyun needs, really, just a sliver of recognition, just a little something that tells him he's not going crazy.

The subway doors close and a rush of adrenaline courses through Jaehyun, something bigger than him pushing him forward. "Doyoung!" he says one more time hoping the other hears him through the glass and across time.

Doyoung pushes forward as well, still looking at him with slight confusion, but the irrevocable spark of that _je ne sais quoi_ that bonds them is there, Jaehyun has no doubts.

And then the train leaves, breaking Jaehyun's heart just a little.

 

When Doyoung opens his eyes, there are tears streaming down his face. The pain that was once Jaehyun's is now his. “I’m sorry.”

But, when he looks around, Doyoung realizes, he is not himself, he is his other half. Waking up in Jochigyo, two years in the past.

 

**IV** **_._ **

"Jaehyun," Doyoung sobs, hugging Jaehyun’s body. He hears that deep honeyed voice and relief crashes through him. Doyoung didn't think he would ever hear it again. “You're alive.”

He’s here! In Jochigyo, and Jaehyun is alive again and Doyoung was given one more chance. Maybe this is the reason why they switched bodies, he thinks, Doyoung needs to help Jaehyun, _needs_ to help his town.

Doyoung stands up from the familiar futon. He looks at Jaehyun’s phone. Today is Sunday, the day of the festival, the day the comet crashed, the town destroyed.

“No,” he shakes his head with a resolution he’s never had before. He changes quickly out of his pajamas, putting on one of Jaehyun’s hoodies and basketball shorts.

“Jaehyun, wake up you lazy oaf!” Jeno barges into his room with a slam of the door, “Breakfast is almost over.”

“Jeno!” Doyoung cries, running towards the smaller boy, “Little brother you’re here!” He hugs him tightly, tightly, the happiest he’s ever been in forever. It all feels like a dream, in a way, it kind of is. He kisses the top of Jeno’s head a few times before the other grimaces and scurries away from him.

“What’s up with you!” Jeno tries fixing his disarrayed hair with a pout, “Jeez, Jaehyun. Just go eat,” he gives Doyoung one last curious glance before dusting himself off, “I’m gonna hang out with Renjun today, see you later.” Jeno takes his leave and Doyoung, more so than ever, is determined to make things right this time.

He runs to the kitchen in a hurry, finding Grandma Jung sat in front of the TV, watching the news like almost every morning he’s woken up in this house.

“ _Grandma,_ ” he rushes in to hug her, “Please, don’t go to the festival today,” he wails, “Don’t go and don’t let Jeno go.”

Grandma Jung stays silent for a few seconds before placing her hand atop Doyoung’s head, patting it a few times. “You’re not Jaehyun, are you?”

Doyoung looks up, wide-eyed and taken aback. He shakes his head with slow movements, “How do you know?”

She smiles gently. Doyoung takes a tea cup when she offers it, still quiet and curious.

“I didn’t,” she simply says, taking a sip from her own tea, “But Jaehyun—” she corrects herself, “ _You’ve_ been acting strange lately. Unlike Jaehyun. A little tougher, a little more confident. A very bad cook. It reminded me of when it happened to me.”

“...happened to you?” Doyoung asks, “Does this happen to other people too? Switching bodies. Lives.”

“Hm,” she hums, “I’m not sure, but it happened to me when I was a teenager, it happened to Jaehyun’s mom too, my daughter. However, I don’t remember much.”

“What do you mean?”

She shakes her head, “I don’t remember the person I switched lives with, nor do I remember anything about that life. I admit, I even forgot it had ever happened until recently, seeing my Jaehyun act so strangely. Guess it brought back memories.”

He supposes that explains why Doyoung eventually forgot a lot about Jaehyun’s life after the switches stopped. Why he almost forgot _Jaehyun._

“I think I’m meant to help you, to help Jaehyun.” Doyoung stands up, “Grandma, the comet will strike the town tonight. I need to stop it.”

“Wha - ” is all she can say before he rushes to the door.

“Don’t go anywhere near the western side of the town, Grandma! And don’t let Jeno go either!” There’s a pause. He says with conviction, looking straight into her eyes, “Don’t worry, I’ll fix this.” He believes his own words for a minute, he _has_ to.

Before walking to the dirt road, where Jaehyun’s bicycle is usually chained to a tree, Doyoung shoots Yuta and Taeil a message. _Meet me at the town square asap._

He doesn't really have a plan, but what else is he supposed to do? Trying to evacuate everyone out of the danger zone seems to be the best option, he just needs to figure out how first. Doyoung hopes Yuta and Taeil can be of some help, if anyone, it's _got_ to be them.

First thing he has to do, however, is somehow convince them to help him out. He has no idea how that's going to go but he has no choice, Doyoung needs to do something, anything.

He rounds the corner that leads to one of the town squares, the one they always use to meet up. Doyoung can already see the small silhouettes of Taeil and Yuta, their own bikes next to them like trusty companions, as they seemingly squabble with each other. Doyoung's heart clenches, and he's grateful to whoever is out there, that he has a chance to see them once again. He has to stop the tears from falling out, it's not time to get sentimental.

"Yuta!" he waves with a loud yell, "Taeil!"

Doyoung slows down, looks at Yuta's slight pout and Taeil's raise of the brow. "Hi."

"Is something up, Jaehyun?" Taeil is the first of the two to speak. "Are you ok?"

Taeil is a perceptive boy, that much Doyoung already knew. Before he can ask what Taeil means, Yuta opens his mouth.

"You ignored our calls yesterday. And now you just message us out of nowhere. Something's gotta be up."

"I - ," he pauses for a second and Yuta continues.

"We asked Jeno about you, he said you went to _Seoul_ yesterday?" his voice drips with surprise and disbelief, "Did you really, Jung Jaehyun? To what? Do you have a secret girlfriend or something?"

"No," Doyoung is quick to reply, small frown on his forehead. "I hope not..." he mutters in a low voice, hoping the other two don't hear him. But it starts making sense, Doyoung realizes. When Jaehyun said he wanted to visit him, he really meant it. And he did, he _did_ go looking for Doyoung yesterday.

He just happened to be two years too early.

And two years later Doyoung waited for a boy that was no longer alive. Doyoung feels immeasurable pain but he can't show it, not right now, not in front of Yuta and Taeil.

He plasters on a reassuring smile, “I was just… I was just busy with some errands. I’m ok,” he promises.

Yuta gives him a quick but intense stare. He sighs with reluctance. “Why did you call us then?”

Doyoung pauses, thinking of words to say, but decides it won’t matter anyway, it will sounds crazy no matter how or what he says. “I need you to help me evacuate everyone tonight.”

There’s a beat of silence, Taeil looks at him with worry, Yuta just waits for a punchline that never arrives.

“The comet will strike the town tonight,” he says instead. Taeil’s mouth hangs open, apprehensive eyes staring him down. Doyoung says again, “We have to take everyone to safety.”

“The comet… will strike us down,” Yuta repeats what his friend just said.

“Yes.”

Doyoung would feel a little bit embarrassed if the matter wasn't so pressing.

“Oh, you've really lost your marbles!” Yuta laments with a shout, hands going to his hair in dramatic flair.

“Is this supposed to be a joke, Jaehyun?” Taeil asks with caution, Doyoung only looks back at him with a hard stare, precise and unwavering and it makes the other boy recoil for a second before taking a step towards him, “I don’t know what you’re planning, but you could get in trouble.”

Doyoung looks down for a brief moment, brows knitting together, before he looks up and faces his - Jaehyun’s - friends. “A little trouble is better than the alternative,  isn’t it? It’s better than letting everyone else die.”

Even Yuta, for once, is silent. He sighs, looks at Taeil whose gaze is still fixed on Doyoung, then says, crossing his arms, “Did you guys even pay attention in class?” Yuta walks over to the small fountain in the middle of the town square, just a few paces away from Doyoung, “The giant crater near the mountains was made a thousand years ago. When a comet fell from the sky.” He shrugs, “Jaehyun doesn’t sound so crazy when you take that into account, I suppose.”

Taeil, still hesitant, asks, “You wants us to evacuate the _whole_ town?”

Doyoung snaps in very unlike Jaehyun fashion, “C’mon, it's not like it's big.” He thinks back to his own city - a metropolis of millions of people. Jochigyo should be a breeze, at least compared to Seoul. That’s what he says to himself, at least. Right now, Doyoung needs all the self-assurance he can get, no one else seems to believe in him.

“Ok, whatever let’s do it,” Taeil finally shrugs, hand going through his hair, something Doyoung has come to learn he does when he’s stressed. He can’t blame him, he can’t blame either of them for being so cautious about everything that Doyoung’s told them.

“We need to create a diversion,” he says, a muddy picture of a plan already on his mind, “Like - I don’t know, anything that will convince the town to get to the right side of town.”

“Like… an explosion?”

Both heads turn to look at Taeil; he pays them no mind as he ponders, finally breaking into a grin. “I can blow up some harmless explosives near the power station. We’ll use the town square’s megaphones o evacuate everyone.”

Yuta shrugs once and both of them turn to look at Doyoung with nothing short of determination. Doyoung's heart swells with pride and affection, he knew he could count on them, they're Jaehyun's best friends till the end.

He smiles at them, Doyoung wishes it could be the gummy smile of his own but he knows the sentiment still radiates from Jaehyun's own smile, warm and ever-grateful.

"Let's do it then."

By the time the sun is at its highest, all three boys huddle in the tiny basement in Yuta's house.

They have small cakes and bags upon bags of chips in a small table in the middle. Taeil works in the corner of the room by himself, too focused on whatever it is that explosives look like. Doyoung and Yuta examine a map of their town, a red X drawn by Doyoung just in the middle of the map.

"You can leave the announcement to me," Yuta nods fiercely. "I know I can do it."

"Will it be enough?" he asks, chewing his lip. This is something Doyoung cannot afford to ruin. Hundreds of lives are at stake here, people he has come to like. He needs something, something like -

"The Mayor."

"Huh?" Yuta asks, still munching on chips and ruining their map with grease.

Doyoung nods. "Jae - my dad. If anyone in this town can do anything about this it's the mayor. I need to get to him... to talk to him."

He sees as Taeil pauses his work, then locks eyes with Yuta. "Are you sure, Jaehyun?" he says, voice incredulous.

But Doyoung knows there's no other way, he needs to save _everyone_ , not just a few. Who better than the mayor of the town? Jaehyun's own father. He nods. "Yes."

¤

The sweat on his clammy hands make nothing to reassure Doyoung. He's never actually met the guy before, only heard stuff from Jaehyun's messages and Jeno's comments here and there.

He doesn't expect him to be the best person, he's aware of this. After all, Jaehyun wouldn't dislike his own father over nothing. Still, Doyoung has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

He knocks on the door once and doesn't wait for an answer. He'd come in to the small municipal building, waved at the secretary who only gave him a confused greeting back but didn't stop him. He doesn't wait for an answer before Doyoung barges in.

"Hey," he says too loudly and too brusquely. He doesn't have time for formalities.

The man in front of him looks up. He's a graying, tall man, handsome but stoic, sharp features. Doyoung thinks Jaehyun and Jeno, with their softer features, ought to look more like their mom. The man's brows knit in confusion and he opens his mouth once. "Jaehyun? What are you doing here?"

_I'm not Jaehyun,_ he wants to say. It feels awful, but he instantly knows he doesn't like Jaehyun's dad; he does not have the warm vibe Jaehyun has, the friendly demeanor.

Doyoung takes a deep breath, unwavering. "You need to evacuate the city."

There's silence, as was expected. Just like with Grandma Jung, just like Yuta and Taeil. But they were different, Mayor Jung doesn't even look at him for more than minute.

He snorts once, then sighs, going back to the papers in front of him. "How old are you now, Jaehyun? Sixteen? Seventeen? Stop messing around, you still don't understand the importance of a job."

And Doyoung feels his blood boil. He wants to scream, he really wants to, and not because their town is going to be destroyed in a few hours, but because this is Jaehyun's dad. This man is his dad and he won't even listen to more than a few words from Jaehyun's mouth. Nevermind that it's not actually him, he doesn't even pretend to listen.

"Listen," Doyoung starts again, the slightly aggressive tone of his voice more evident now, "The comet is gonna fall soon. Tonight. The town is going to be crushed if you don't do anything. We have to help them." He doesn't want to fight, he doesn't want to become irrationally angry on behalf of Jaehyun, he stills his annoyance for a moment.

But then he snorts. The man snorts as if it were all a game. Now, Doyoung understands that it all seems entirely too unbelievable, of course he knows this. But he won't even listen, Jaehyun's word is dismissed just as he opens his mouth.

"I don't have time for this. Leave."

And his heart crushes and Doyoung knows that it's Jaehyun's heart breaking, not his. The blood in his veins boils, for him, for Jaehyun, for this town. Hot tears well in the corner of his eyes, his throat aches and the fist on the mayor's desk resonates through the room.

"You fucker. People will die and you'll have blood on your hands." He looks at the other man straight in the eye, all the anger and frustration emanating from him in spades. Doyoung doesn't know what else to say or to do. His hands shake, Jaehyun would be able to convince him, Jaehyun would be so much better at this.

"Who...who are you? You're not Jaehyun," the mayor stutters, looking back at Doyoung straight in the eye, confusion with an edge of fear perched on his face.

"You don't know who Jaehyun is," is all Doyoung manages to say before he turns around and walks towards the door, leaving briskly with trembling hands.

He runs out of the building, hot tears threatening to erupt. He wishes Jaehyun were him, the other boy might be too soft-spoken and an idiot, but he'd be able to convince his father, he'd be able to control his anger, to talk to Yuta and Taeil properly, to be level-headed at a moment like this.

All Doyoung manages to do is sloppily try to put things together, in a messy way, in a way that might not work. He needs Jaehyun, he needs him here, he needs to see him.

Before Doyoung knows what he's doing, he runs away, through the town square, into the dirt paths that lead to the houses uphill. Where would Jaehyun go? Doyoung doesn't know, he has no clue, all he knows is where he'd like to be right now.

He runs and runs till his legs ache, uphill, to the mountains, where the trees are full and the sky is clear and _please, he just wants some help._

He runs for what feels like hours; it is not, of course it's not, but it's still a long trek, one that leaves his bones and muscles exhausted till the end. But then there it is.

Where the sky meets the landscape, the earth, the mountains. Where the sun goes down and the breeze blows lightly, the tufts of grass moving softly against the air, unaware of what it is to come. He doesn't know why he comes here, but something inexorably deep within him yells at him to go, to please be here for all that is good.

There's nothing, absolutely nothing but the lonely peonies he saw just a few days ago when he came here with Jeno and Grandma Jung, just the same as when he came here after learning of Jochigyo’s deathly fate.

Even with Jaehyun's more practiced and strong muscles, Doyoung can feel himself go weak, his knees hitting the grass with a soft thump as ragged breaths make his throat burn. He can feel his own disillusioned heartbeat thrum against his chest and Doyoung's fuzzy brain isn't sure whether the drops falling from his face onto the floor are tears or sweat.

"I'm sorry," he whispers to no one in particular and to everyone. "I need to help you all but I don't know how,” he tries to remember Jaehyun's voice as he says this, tries to remember how he sounds like because it's something he never wants to forget. "Jaehyun, I need you.”

And Doyoung is still slumped down on the grass, trying to catch his breath, when the breeze picks up, blowing away every astray leaf in near vicinity. The sun paints the sky with sunset oranges but Doyoung doesn't pay it any mind, his stare is only on the grass beneath him.

He thinks back to the day of the picnic, how nice it had been for him, how he wished Jaehyun could be there. Jaehyun deserves all the days of a long life, to be with Jeno and laugh along with him, to enjoy sunsets like this one and to eat cakes and go to cafés all he wants. Jaehyun deserves to live.

"Jaehyun," he mumbles under his breath. A renewed energy ignites within Doyoung, he wants to see Jaehyun, he _has_ to. He'll fight with everything he has, even if its against fate itself. His arms and legs hurt as he stands up, but now, Doyoung's attention is up above. On the purple sky in front of him, vast and endless as the breeze keeps on picking up. Doyoung's hair is blown away from his face and he pays it no mind, not when the beautiful twilight sky is in front of him. "Jaehyun," he repeats to himself, a little louder than before.

He nods to himself. Doyoung has never been too reckless, he's never been the one to go out there and throw himself into the unknown. He didn't have a choice with Jaehyun, he definitely didn't, but he'd do it all over again, and all the times that it takes. He yells, "Jaehyun!" It's for himself and Jaehyun and everyone else in their little town.

And then he hears it - a soft voice, so, _so_ familiar in the faraway distance, as if underwater.

"Doyoung?" Of course he knows that voice. It is Doyoung's own.

Doyoung scrambles around, heart thumping. Is Jaehyun here? Where is he? Can he only hear him in his head? There's no one else around but him, the mountain desolate from anyone but himself. "Jaehyun?" he yells again.

The reply is louder this time, clearer, unmistakably there. "Doyoung!"

Doyoung's eyes grow big, turning around everywhere, looking for the owner of the voice. "Jaehyun, keep yelling! I'll find you!"

"Where are you!"

Doyoung follows the voice, walks towards it, still not seeing anyone else in that mountain but himself.

 

 

Jaehyun wakes up as the wind hits his face, a leaf smacking him in the nose. He feels tired, very tired and sluggish, as if he had just slept for years. He slowly lifts his body into a sitting position, hands wiping at his face.

The weight of his body doesn't feel right, yet, it's familiar. "Doyoung?" he says as he looks down at his hands, the skinny, bony hands and bitten nails of Kim Doyoung greet him in surprise. This isn't his body, but it's still intimate to Jaehyun, he still _knows it._

Confused, he looks up at his surroundings. He's in the crater mountain near his house, the one Grandma loves to visit from time to time. What is he doing here? What is he doing in Doyoung's body?

"What’s happening—" he starts but then a headache hits him and the sudden images of a starry night strike him like a thunderstorm in his head. He remembers the night of the festival, his laughter alongside Yuta and Taeil, the way they ran to see the comet together. He vaguely recalls the heartbreak of the day prior.

Most of all, he recalls the white light of the comet fall upon him, upon all of them. It struck when no one expected, when no one could prevent it. Jaehyun's feels infinite sadness, it envelops him. Was it all a dream? Where's Jeno? Where's Grandma? Where's everyone and why is he here, in Doyoung's body nonetheless.

He stands up, the headache still there, unrelenting. And when he looks down at the city from that mountain, the highest of them all, Jaehyun's breath hitches. The sky, with the purple hues all across the expanse should look beautiful, instead, it's nothing but marring an already ugly sight.

Because no, those images in Jaehyun's memory aren't a dream, not when the city he knew and loved so much is gone and all there is in its stead is barren land the size of a crater. Destroyed and blackened.

The tears erupt from Jaehyun's eyes all across his cheeks, sudden, soft and heartbroken. What happened? Why is he here? He shouldn't be here. He is... he is dead. Or at least supposed to.

And he realizes; no, it is not Jaehyun who is here, it's Doyoung. It is Doyoung's body standing here, alive. Does that mean— No! Where's Doyoung? If Jaehyun is here in his body...

"Jaehyun!" it's a yell, desperate, sad. A voice he knows.

"Doyoung!" he yells back without thinking. _Where is he?_

He doesn't know what he expected, certainly not a reply. Faraway and soft, but there. "Jaehyun!" It calls. And of course Jaehyun knows that voice, it's Doyoung using Jaehyun's voice.

The sun keeps setting, the moment between day and night lost somewhere in time.

Jaehyun, hears the voice again, loud and clear. "Jaehyun, keep yelling! I'll find you!" And that's all Jaehyun needs to hear.

"Where are you!" All he can do is yell back, hoping and praying for a sign that he'll somehow see Doyoung here; even if most of what's happening here is confusing and sad and tragic, he's praying to see Doyoung.

"Jaehyun!"

"I'm here!" And then Doyoung's voice is loud, louder than before but he cannot see him still. For some reason, Jaehyun isn't too troubled by that, not when he can feel Doyoung's presence beside him, like a warmth blanket, like the protection he seeks. He's never actually been next to Doyoung, not physically, but somehow Jaehyun knows the other, he knows how it feels to be standing next to him.

And then, the sun sets, the sky turns a bright violet color, the atmosphere turns static and — his own face greets him.

Like looking into a mirror, his own face is in front of him, surprised look and everything. It's weird, surreal, it's not supposed to be this way, to be in someone else's body and see himself like this but it's happening, no denying that. And at the same time, Jaehyun knows that the person in front of him is not himself - it's someone else, someone who makes his heart beat faster, who makes his cheeks flush for some strange reason, someone he knows almost as good as he knows himself.

"Doyoung..." he whispers.

"Jaehyun?"

He shrugs, looking down at his body, "Kind of," and then he laughs and Doyoung follows along. It's a nice sound, their voices mingling together in light laughter.

And just in that moment, when their laughs are indistinguishable from each other, Jaehyun blinks. It's short, less than a fraction of a second, but when he opens his eyes again, his breath is caught.

In front of him stands Doyoung.

"What?" the other asks, neither of them expecting an answer. Doyoung looks at his own hands, at his palms, touches his face still in disbelief. They've always gone back to their own bodies, but never this way. Never in front of each other.

Jaehyun's breath is shaky but for different reasons. Sure, he's a little astounded by what's happening to them, but most of all he's thinking of the boy in front of him. Finally, he meets Doyoung and Doyoung meets him.

"Hi," Jaehyun waves at him. "Nice to meet you."

Doyoung blinks a few times before nodding. "Nice to meet you. I'm Doyoung."

Jaehyun nods back, a small smile on his face. His face turns slowly to the side, where his town used to be. "Doyoung... what happened here?"

There's silence from the other boy, a few seconds.

"Did I - Did I die?" he asks, already knowing the answer to the question.

He turns to look back at Doyoung. The other nods silently before opening his mouth. "The comet struck part the town. During the festival. Do you remember?"

It's Jaehyun's turn to nod. He remembers, clearly, as if it had just happened yesterday. In a way, and for him, maybe it was just yesterday, a few hours ago, years ago. Who knows?

"Are you from the future then?" he asks.

"Why did you go meet me in the past?" Doyoung replies instead, blowing a tuft of hair away from his face, visibly annoyed, "You're so _dumb,_ Jaehyun. How was I supposed to know you!"

"Hey! How was _I_ supposed to know you were just a fifteen year old brat back then! A rude one at that!"

"I wasn't rude, I just didn't know you!" Doyoung crosses his arms. So that's how his face is supposed to look like, with those facial expressions that Jaehyun could've never achieved. That's Kim Doyoung. Suddenly, Jaehyun wants to know everything there is to know about him, even more so than what he already knows. He wants to know how exactly he looks like when he's mad, when he cries, when he smiles with unadulterated happiness; he wants to know Doyoung.

"I can't believe you drew all over my face, by the way!" he remembers, dignified.

"It's not like you didn't do it on me," Doyoung retaliates.

Jaehyun laughs, the sight of Doyoung too adorable in his mind.

It's all too good to be true, however, and they both know it.

"Listen, Jaehyun," Doyoung starts again, visibly shaken, "You have to go back. You still have time, you have to go back in time and warn them. Go help Yuta and Taeil and I'm sure you're gonna make it."

"I can't..." he feels his throat close up, "Doyoung, what am I supposed to do? I can't change - destiny."

"Jaehyun if anyone can, it's you," Doyoung grabs his arm, his touch is hot and Jaehyun never wants to let go. "Maybe this is why we've changed lives, it was all leading up for us to help your town. You can do it, I know you can. And when you do, I'll see you. We'll meet up again, in the future."

"How do you know?"

Doyoung shrugs, "I just know. C'mon, Jaehyun, there's nothing that's gonna keep me from annoying you ever again, ok? Not even this stupid comet."

Jaehyun agrees with a laugh, "Not even this stupid comet."

Doyoung smiles but sobers up after a minute. He looks at Jaehyun again, something in his eyes desperate and pleading and - "Jaehyun," he visibly gulps, his grip on Jaehyun's arm tightens. "Just... promise me you won't forget about me."

"What... why? I would never."

The breeze is still unmoving, Doyoung shakes his head, "I think our memories are not supposed to remember each other after we switch bodies. I don't want to forget you and I don't want you to forget about me."

"I won't," Jaehyun says decisively, as if he could change fate. He believes he can.

"Here, give me your hand." Doyoung takes hold of his hand, holding it in his own. With the other he takes a black sharpie from his pocket. "I'm going to write my name here, and when you think you'll forget me, just look at your palm and remember me, Jung Jaehyun."

Their eyes meet and there's an immeasurable amount of feelings in the air, Jaehyun can feel each and every one of them. Doyoung doesn't write anything for a few seconds, only looks back at Jaehyun, suddenly a small smile appears on his face before the tip of the marker touches Jaehyun's skin, the smooth ink staining his hand.

When he is done, he hands over the marker to Jaehyun. "Here, now you write your name on mine."

The wind comes back and the sun is nowhere to be seen in the sky. The expanse above them a dark blue. And just when the black marker touches Doyoung's hand, it falls to the ground. No one's holding it from the other side.

Doyoung looks around and finds himself to be alone yet again. He looks at his palm, it's blank.

"Jaehyun?" he asks out loud, frantic, "Jaehyun, where are you?" No one is there to reply to him. His heart aches, he wishes all that he said to Jaehyun is true, that they'll meet again some day. "I don't want to forget you," he whispers into the nothingness. "Don't forget me either."

But even then, Doyoung can already feel the blank spaces form in his mind. What's the name of the town? What's the name of Jaehyun's little brother?

"I don't... I don't want to forget you," Doyoung says again, already knowing the tragic destiny as he looks down at his blank palm. Somehow, he knows that his heart will remember what his mind won't.

¤

Jaehyun runs down the hill as fast as the road lets him. He takes out his cellphone, the barely dim lighting coupled with his frantic running are barely letting him see the screen. Still, there's not much to do but click on the first contact on his list. Yuta.

His friend picks up on the first ring. "Jaehyun, where the hell are you? Taeil's about to burn the explosives, you need to run to the town square and tell everyone to go to the middle school, ok? I'll do what I can with the speakers and warn them too."

"The town square... ok, I got it. We can do it Yuta," he repeats Doyoung's words from earlier. The other boy didn't have much time to explain exactly their plan, but Jaehyun can manage to put the pieces together. He needs to evacuate everyone at the festival and nearby areas to the school.

"I know we can, see you there."

Jaehyun grunts as he wills his legs to run even faster than before, adrenaline pumping through his veins as the cool air howls, as if running with him, cheering for him.

He arrives just a little near his home. Jaehyun is tempted to go see it but he knows he can't, not when he's running on borrowed time. Either way, he knows Jeno and his grandma are at the festival, just like everyone else is, he needs to hurry up, that's where he needs to be.

As he runs through the crooks and crannies of the residential part of town, Jaehyun can make out all the tiny fairy lights of the festival. He's supposed to be there, along with Taeil and Yuta helping out with Yuta's dad stand. He's supposed to be there mindlessly enjoying himself just like everyone else is. But now he gets to change destiny, or at least try to.

It is just when he steps foot into the town square that the rumbling sound of an explosion can be heard from a distance. There's one more, then two, and everyone else turns to look at the sound. It looks intimidating, sure, also dangerous, but that's all part of the plan.

There's a few wails from a couple of worried ladies, everyone glancing at the explosion.

"It came from the power source plant," a man exclaims, "What's happening up there?"

Before Jaehyun can open his mouth, Yuta beats him to it. The town speakers reverberate throughout the place. "Everyone, please evacuate to the west side of town. Take shelter in Ga-Roo middle school. There's been an accident at the power source plant, it's not safe, Go look for shelter. Everyone please evacuate."

There's worried exclaims everywhere, kids and their parents looking scared, some already making their way out of the colorful town square.

"Please everyone, it's not safe here!" he starts shouting, urging everyone in near vicinity to keep moving. "You need to evacuate!" In the background, Yuta keeps repeating himself.

They're gonna do it, Jaehyun thinks, they might be able to do this. He won't disappoint him... Who is he not trying to disappoint again? Jaehyun's thought are dispersed when his phone rings again. He answers swiftly, after seeing it's Taeil.

"Jaehyun," the voice on the other side of the line is frantic, "There's guards here, I'm going to get caught, I'm sorry. You keep on ushering everyone out but... they might stop us. Don't let Yuta stop either, ok?"

"Taeil...!" he exclaims but he's interrupted by faraway voices in the background.

"Hey you! Kid!" A male voice calls for Taeil, Jaehyun can't pinpoint the voice, but he's certain it's one of the few police officers in town.

"Damn," Taeil hisses under his breath, "I hope this is worth going to jail for, Jaehyun. I'm counting on you," is the last thing he says before the line is cut off.

Jaehyun squeezes his eyes with a shake of the head, he wants to go help Taeil, but there's more pressing matters at hand.

He runs to one of the biggest kiosks, where goldfish and cotton candy are aligned for kids to enjoy; there's still a quite a few curious people there. He runs to them, shouting to a couple of standing moms, "The town square isn't safe right now, please go evacuate."

As if helping him, Yuta's voice is heard over the megaphone yet again. "Everyone, please evacuate to the west side of town. Take shelter in Ga-Roo middle school. There's been an accident— _What are you doing, Nakamoto?"_ Yuta's voice is suddenly cut off.

" _Get off there you delinquent!_ " It's Jaehyun's dad, no doubt.

"N-no We need to... we need to evacuate everyone, Mayor Jung!" Yuta's struggle is heard throughout the town square. "Ngh, get off me!"

More than anything, the public ridiculous scuffle between Yuta and his dad is catching everyone's attention and, instead of fleeing, the crowd stays still, listening in.

Before long, a new voice, neither the Mayor's nor Yuta's is heard. "Sorry for the inconvenience, please do not listen the previous messages. It is safe for everyone to be at the festival, do not worry and enjoy your night."

There's murmurs from the crowds and Jaehyun curses under his breath. This is not going well. The townspeople shrug and, like obedient sheep, go back to filling the kiosks and food stands, as if nothing had happened.

"Hey no!" Jaehyun's warnings are now going unseen and ignored by the passing townspeople. "You can't—you need to leave!" _Why is no one paying attention to him?_

Of course they wouldn't. Jaehyun and his friends are just a bunch of high schoolers after all, just a group of boys doing a prank, no need to be taken seriously. Jaehyun sighs, hand going through his hair. They're running out of time, the comet will strike in less than an hour, they must do something or hundreds will die.

There's not many options left. The town won't listen to him, but they certainly will obey anything the mayor says.

"Fuck," Jaehyun shakes his head before taking a deep breath. He has only a few seconds to pause before he’s running off to the town hall, definitely one of his least favorite places in Jochigyo.

His lungs start burning, the trek between the town square and the town hall isn't too long, however, Jaehyun can't waste anymore precious time. He's never run as fast in his life, but then again, he's never been put in a life or death situation before. And this isn't just about him, this is about his family, his friends, even the people he doesn't particularly like; Jaehyun needs to save them, no matter what. Jaehyun promised him, he promised—

"No, no, no," Jaehyun shakes his head adamantly as the road ahead becomes rockier and rockier, the name of the boy who holds his heart vanishing away, "I can't forget. Not now."

"What's your name?" He says into the wind; Jaehyun can't help the dreadful sobs that take over him. " _What's your name?_ "

There’s no answer, of course there’s no answer. Time and life have separated them yet again and there's nothing he can do about it, at least not now. It is that one horrible thought that distracts Jaehyun, his mind is clouded with frustration and he fails to see the pile of rocks in his path. He unceremoniously trips over them, falling face flat on the ground, the downhill slope sending him rolling across the pavement. He feels the burn and scratch of sharp rock against his skin, it's not too painful and it certainly helps wake him up from his hazy stupor.

"Agh," he groans at his bleeding elbow. He tries standing up, hands on the ground trying to support himself, the palm of his hand dirty and—

The palm of his hand. That's right, Jaehyun can still remember the boy's cold hand on his, the marker on his own skin and the writing of letters. _He wrote his name there,_ he thinks with a sense of relief.

And then he lifts his palm, expectation and hope visibly on his face. Jaehyun takes a deep breath and turns his hand around.

His name isn't there.

Jaehyun's eyes widen, tears well up in his eyes. And then he laughs. A tremor within him surges and suddenly he's both crying and laughing and feeling a thousand emotions at once. Jaehyun may not know the boy's name, but he sure as hell knows his feelings towards him.

Written in the palm of his hand, the dumbest thing Jaehyun has ever read is there.

_I love you._

Jaehyun is starting to forget his face, has already forgotten his name, but somehow, he can feel and believe the words written on his skin. He’s forgetting him and soon, he’ll forget his feelings towards him as well but right now, at least, Jaehyun knows he’s fallen in love.

He stands up. His face is tear-stained and he's pretty much bleeding through his shirt. It's fine, his mind is focused one thing only. He looks at the town hall building, a short and ugly thing he's hated since he was a child, representing everything he's resented for years.

He's _going_ to do this, no matter the cost. Jaehyun is now more sure of it than ever, trading lives, switching bodies; it must've all been part of his destiny.

He runs again, determination coursing through his body.

When he opens the door of the building, he almost doesn't recognize the room. It's usually desolate, with only a secretary and a few scattered people here and there. Now, there's more than a few officers, familiar faces he knows and recognizes, everyone's alert, confused. In a corner, Yuta and Taeil are sat, no doubt being questioned and reprimanded by the adults,

"Jaehyun!" Yuta exclaims and jumps from his chair as soon as he sees him enter.

"Where's my dad?" he says back, ignoring the looks everyone else gives him.

Taeil points to the mayor's office and Jaehyun loses no time in walking there.

One of the police officers speaks up, "Jung Jaehyun are you in on this as well?" But Jaehyun pays him no mind, his stare unwavering as he opens his father's office with a slam of the door.

Inside, there's no one else but the mayor, who stands by the window, probably watching the faraway lights of the festival. He looks at Jaehyun instantly, the sound of the door making him flinch. "Jaehyun?" He massages his temples. "Again? I know you're behind your friends' little antics. What the hell is going on?"

So the other boy had been here before, probably tried warning his father, to no avail.

"This will _not_ go unpunished, young man. I need to get Jeno away from you, bad influence of a—"

"Evacuate the town. Right now," there's no shaking voice, no waver. It's not a question, it's an order. He's not going to let himself be pushed around, not right now, now when it comes to saving lives.

"Wha—"

"A comet is going to fall down and strike our town in less than an hour," Jaehyun doesn't blink, "For once, do something good for your town. For your own family."

The mayor opens his mouth but doesn't say anything, probably too stunned for the second time that day.

Jaehyun knows this is his last chance. And he hopes, and he _prays,_ that he won't have to see that damn comet once again.

 

**V**.

Doyoung sighs as soon as he sees the caller ID. He lets the phone ring once, twice. Three times should be enough.

"Hello."

"God, Doyoung you're such a slow answerer, what is _wrong_ with you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I left you hanging for thirty seconds, I am the worst. What's up, Ten?"

Ten huffs from the other side of the line, "What do you mean what's up? I wanted to see how your job interview went? Any luck, future Mr. Journalist?"

"Pfft," he rolls his eyes, "I don't know, I think I did good. But then again—"

"You always think you did good."

"That's right," Doyoung snorts, "Who knew life after college would be so hard? I thought a degree would solve all of my problems."

"You and me both, buddy. It just complicates life more, to be honest," Ten sighs. "Anyway, we having some drinks tonight, right?"

"Oh, shit... that was tonight?"

"Hardy-har-har, Kim Doyoung. You know I've been pestering you about it for the past week. Johnny would kill you with his bare hands if you were to miss out on this. We—"

"I know, Ten, trust me, _I know_." Doyoung dodges a little boy in a skating board. Really, these Seoul streets are too busy and cramped. "I'll be there on time, don't worry. I'm just meeting up with Taeyong for a few minutes and I'll head there, ok?"

"Oh, Taeyong?" Ten exclaims, "You should invite him too, he's always a riot after a single pint. Sicheng always makes sure to record him.”

Doyoung laughs before promising Ten for the uptenth time he won't be late and ending the call. He walks with caution over a small puddle of rain water, he doesn't want to get his new interview shoes dirty, not when they're that expensive and they're the only pair he owns.

He walks a path he knows by memory, he isn't a Seoulite native for nothing. The sky is a little cloudy and damnit, he should've brought an umbrella. Here's to hoping Taeyong is carrying two.

It is not long before he reaches a little bridge by the police station, exactly the one where Taeyong wanted to meet up at. He doesn't know exactly what the other wants, but he knows it's important enough for the other man to want him to meet up even for a few minutes, when both of their schedules are packed.

He sees the other's silhouette, skinny and elegant, as he leans in and watches the small, clear river in front of them. "Taeyong!" Doyoung calls out with a waving arm.

Taeyong, with his brilliant smile and sparkling eyes, turns to him immediately. "Hey, Doyoung."

He walks up to his friend and offers him a smile, but the other has other plans, grabbing the taller Doyoung by the shoulders and hugging him tightly. "How did your interview go, Dongie?"

When Taeyong finally lets him free, Doyoung shrugs, "It was ok. Guess I just need to wait a few days for a call."

"I'm sure you'll get the job, you're the best journalist, they ain't ready for you."

Taeyong always did have a way with words to make Doyoung feel confident and secure. That's his best friend right there.

"So..." he starts, eyeing Taeyong with both curiosity and suspicion. "What did you want to talk to me about? What was oh, so important?"

Taeyong looks at him and Doyoung can tell from a single glance the other is trying to force down one of those dumb, giddy smiles. "So, I just wanted to tell you that..."

He pauses, dramatic effect and all.

"Oh, get on with it, you dumbo!"

"Ok, ok," he snorts. And then he takes out his hand from his coat's pocket, Doyoung hadn't even noticed he was hiding it. Taeyong wiggles his fingers with a giant smile perched on his face.

" _No way,_ " Doyoung's mouth is wide open. "You're getting married, Lee Taeyong?"

Taeyong nods, his smile unfaltering. He looks happy, the happiest, actually. With glowing skin and smile wrinkles next to his eyes. Doyoung's heart warms at the sight. "I can't believe you. Oh my god, I'm so happy for you, Yong." He goes on to hug the other man, his height making him easy to carry.

"When's the wedding?"

Taeyong shrugs, excitement in his face, "We still don't know. We're not in a rush or anything, just hoping for the best."

Doyoung's smile softens, "It's going to be the best, I can assure you that."

"It's a promise then," his friend smiles back, "Which also means, Doyoung, that you need to find yourself a date for the wedding."

"Oh, please, Taeyong. Don't push your gay monogamy propaganda on me."

Taeyong pouts, "Ok, take three dates to the wedding."

"Not a chance."

His friends sighs, "Have you seen anyone? Just a short date at least?”

Doyoung sighs, turning from his friend and setting his sight on the crystal clear river in front of them, "Not really. But I'm not interested."

"Ok, ok," Taeyong grunts, giving up, "I know you're not a romantic, I just want you to be happy, that's all."

"I know," Doyoung gives him a small smile, of course he knows Taeyong has always wanted the best for him. He's not right though, it's not that Doyoung isn't a romantic, quite the opposite, it's just that he's never found the right person. Ten always calls him out on it, Johnny says he's too picky. Taeyong just wants him to have someone.  And Doyoung does too, he really does, but there's always something missing, and he's had to live like that for the few years of his life, wanting something he doesn't even know.

"Anyways," he coughs out, "I'm meeting Ten and Johnny at a bar downtown, wanna come with?"

Taeyong slaps a hand on his shoulder, apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry, I'm running late to my mom's house, gotta tell her the news."

"Ohh," Doyoung mock-winces, "Mrs. Lee's going to get mad she wasn't the first one to know."

"Not if you know how to keep a secret."

He snorts and pats Taeyong one more time. He's happy, he's truly happy for Taeyong.

With one last hug, they go their separate ways, not without Doyoung mulling over their previous conversation.

It's not like he wants to be alone, he's just waiting for someone. Doyoung knows this.

He steps onto Line 2, the closest train that'll get him to the usual bar he frequents with Ten and Johnny. The road is entirely too familiar, "Hm," he muses, "Maybe I need new friends."

He looks inside his bag, blindly searching for his earphones. Maybe if he listens to sad music while riding the train he'll feel better. Before he can put in a single earphone in, however, the conversation next to him catches his attention.

Doyoung doesn't know what it is, maybe the voices, maybe the name, or he's just nosy, but he stops in his tracks, listening in on the pair sitting next to him.

"Yuta," one of the men mumbles, "You're _worst_ boyfriend ever. How could you forget our anniversary?"

"I didn't forget!" the other one, Yuta, exclaims back. Really, it's not like Doyoung has to try too hard to listen in, not with the loud boy practically shouting everything to the almost desolate train. "It's this Saturday, me forgetting it today doesn't mean I would've forgotten on Saturday, Taeil.”

_Yuta, Taeil._ Something about those names moves something within Doyoung. He doesn't know what, though, or why.

He shakes his head, he must be getting really tired. He puts in his earphones, deciding that it's time for some music, at least for the remainder  of the trip, which isn't long.

A song and a half later, Doyoung's stop comes. When he stands up, ready to leave, he meets eyes with the loud guy from before, Yuta. He doesn't understand the feeling in his stomach when he sees him, doesn't understand why his face looks vaguely familiar, as he's known him from before. Yuta looks back at him with a furrow of the brows, and Doyoung isn't sure if he feels the same way or if he's just freaked out by Doyoung's stare.

He promptly leaves the train, out into one of the subterranean stops. It's getting late and this isn't a transited stop by any means, so the place is mostly empty save for a few people who get on the train straight away.

Doyoung tries to fix his already disheveled tie. Great, he'll have to iron everything again, the woes of the adult life. It'll  be fine as long as he actually gets a job, he thinks as he sits on a bench next to a vending machine, deciding to just get rid of the tie for the day; it's not like he'll need it in a bar anyways.

The echoing frantic steps that resonate throughout the station make Doyoung look up. It seems an unlucky sod arrived just a little too late, missing the train by only a few seconds.

"Wait up!" he says to no one, of course the train won't stop, it never does.

Doyoung shakes his head, feeling bad for the other man but also silently reprimanding him for not checking the train's timetable. It's the first rule of Seoul's public transport. The reason why Doyoung never misses a ride.

He can hear the other man sigh in disappointment as he sits on the same bench as Doyoung, on the other extreme. Neither look at each other.

Doyoung wants to say something like, _tough luck_ , or maybe a sympathy whistle. He's never been one to make conversation with strangers though, so he leaves it at that. He starts to feel the awkward silence moment between them so Doyoung decides to crumple up his tie quickly before standing up and leaving.

It is then that, for a moment, something overcomes Doyoung. It's fleeting, small, but for some reason at that exact moment, he turns back to look at the slumping stranger. And the stranger looks back.

And Doyoung feels immense. When brown eyes, _so, so_ familiar and pink lips and the most beautiful, chiseled face Doyoung has ever seen. He doesn't breathe, he _can't_ breathe, because most of all, it's not the stranger's nice features that get to him. It's a pull, a pull like he's never known before, one that's aching throughout his body, burning him.

The other man looks back, silent, mouth slightly open and Doyoung wants to know, _do you feel what I'm feeling? Is your heart beating the way mine is?_

He opens his mouth to say something, anything. He doesn't know what though, he's not prepared for any of this, at a loss for words, at a loss of thoughts.

And when the sound of the next train rushing in, Doyoung turns back.

He points to the tracks with a quiet voice. "The next train is here."

The other man nods blankly, mouth still open before closing it, as if the trance he was just in completely disappears. "Thanks," is all he replies before turning around and pacing towards the tracks.

Doyoung's mind is whirring but he, too, turns the other way, walking up the stairs and out into the city. He listens as the train stops and subsequently leaves, taking the stranger with it.

Doyoung sighs, he feels like he can breathe again as he steps out into the cool night air. But something stays within his chest, it's a heavy feeling, dreadful, something terrible that Doyoung does not understand.

And as the train leaves farther and farther away from him, the feeling starts to grow.

Doyoung tries to ignore it as he crosses the street, as he walks along the pavement and feels the wind against his face. He sniffles at the growing weather, trying to hide his face within his scarf. But the neither the cold nor the feeling in his chest go away, in fact, it grows and Doyoung hates it. Worst of all, he can't forget the stranger's face, it's engraved in him and Doyoung feels like it's been there even before today.

Is this what he's been looking for? Is this he what's been missing?

Yeah, Taeyong was terribly wrong, Doyoung is nothing but a romantic; he just needed to find  the right circumstances. Doyoung thinks these are the right circumstances.

Maybe he needs Ten here with him to tell him it's a terrible idea, maybe he needs Taeyong to question him. But they aren't here. And Doyoung think he's made a big mistake, so he does the only thing that he can.

He runs back, he runs back because he's letting something special and familiar and unknown _and_ beautiful run away from him, from his grasp, and Doyoung's nearly not dumb enough to let it go for a second time.

He doesn't know what he'll do once he gets to the train station, maybe take the train, hope that he'll see the stranger in one of the stops. It's not likely, almost almost impossible, but if Doyoung doesn't do anything, then he won't be able to forgive himself.

"This is so stupid," he mutters under his breath, as much as he can anyway, ragged breaths making him wheeze in no time. His physical condition could be better.

The moon above him glistens in silvery light and it's odd to Doyoung, who's never been much of a runner, how this whole scene feels a little bit familiar. Huh, maybe in a dream or something.

He opens the door of the train stop with an effective slam, too preoccupied about catching the next train to focus on any of the onlookers who stare at him with a stink eye.

Doyoung runs back to the same exact spot he was  a few minutes ago, near the bench and the vending machine. His heart constricts at the sight of no one. Of course not, the stranger had left minutes before Doyoung. The wicked emptiness he feels is unforgiving.

He catches his breath, throat hurting as he feels his eyes sting with unshed tears. He's being really pathetic right now, Doyoung thinks, over some weird fantasy he's been having. But no matter what his head keeps repeating, Doyoung knows exactly how he feels.

The sound of the approaching train makes him flinch, looking up. Should he try boarding it like a maniac just in hopes of seeing the stranger again?

But, Doyoung notices, the incoming train is not the one he'd be taking, but the one from the opposite direction.

He hisses, "Fuck."

But, if Doyoung has come to learn anything, is that he's not the sole dumbest person in the world. And, as he looks up and the train doors open, Doyoung realizes he may not be that alone.

Disheveled clothes and rumpled hair, eyes wide and confused, looking for something or someone the same way Doyoung is. That's how the brown haired stranger looks like.

He looks around the place, scanning it just the same as Doyoung. Looking just the same bit of frazzled and surprised at himself.

Fondness grows in Doyoung's heart, or maybe it was already there.

He takes a deep breath and walks over to the man, no hesitation this time.

Once again, they meet eyes and, once again, Doyoung becomes speechless. Unlike last time, he opens his mouth. The stranger beats him to it.

"Did you feel it too?" he asks.

He doesn't need to explain anything, Doyoung _understands_ , even if he doesn't know too well himself.

"Yeah," he nods with a growing. He sees the the rivulets streaming down from the man's face. Doyoung frowns, "Why are you crying?"

"Huh?" he looks surprised, touching his own cheek as if to confirm the wet traces on his face. He looks back at Doyoung, pointing with accusation, "Why are _you_ crying?"

"I'm not—" Doyoung goes on to feel the tears staining his face. He doesn't know what's happening, but he's not going to question it right now. "Why... why am I crying?"

The man laughs, his eyes crinkling in a way that makes Doyoung's heart clench. "Tell me about it."

It should feel awkward, it really should. There they are, two complete strangers meeting at the subway station too late into the night, crying. Ten would _love_ to hear about this. Doyoung has more pressing matters right now.

He opens his mouth and sees the exact moment when the stranger does so too.

"What's your name?" They say at the same time and it's oh, so odd, how Doyoung feels like this isn't the first time.

He feels laughter bubble up from his stomach. Relief, peace, happiness.

"Doyoung."

"Jaehyun."

Fate.

¤

**Author's Note:**

> [yumetourou](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOwzm82gUn8)
> 
>  [timeless](https://youtu.be/Np_-2s5RMOk)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> feel free to leave kudos and comments, please! you can also yell at me on [twt](https://twitter.com/ten_taeil) and [curious cat!](https://curiouscat.me/nakamoon)
> 
> thank you for reading and stream superhuman!


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